Lethal Triangle
by Tolanya
Summary: [AU] Fayt’s being forced to marry Sophia, a famous fashion designer and the richest woman on Earth, who’s henchmen killed Fayt’s true love years ago. Or did they? My summary is lame because I wrote it at 1:06 AM. FaytAlbel.
1. Old Memories

Title: Lethal Triangle 

**Author: **Tolanya

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the rights to Star Ocean or any of the characters. If I did, I assure you Albel would not be an optional character and Sophia would not exsist. Donate one dollar and a cookie to help make this dream come true. Oh, and I stole Slashapalooza's format for introducing a story type thing (She's a great Kingdom Hearts Riku/Sora fluff author though). I don't even own that. sob

**Rating: **M. But that doesn't mean I'm going to give you lemons. It means violence, men making out, alcohol, extremely foul language, and everything else you love.

**Summary: **AU Fayt's being forced to marry Sophia, a famous fashion designer and the richest woman on Earth, who's henchmen killed Fayt's true love years ago. Or did they? My summary is lame because I wrote it at 1:06 AM. Fayt/Albel.

**Pairings:** It's pretty much just Fayt/Albel.

**Setting:** The richest city on Earth. I couldn't think of a good name for the city, so notice how I avoid saying it.

**Author's Note:** My first fanfiction ever….Ah, I'm so scared you guys won't like it! Give me lots of reviews and then I'll keep writing. Acctually, I'll keep writing even if you don't review, because I have chapters 2 and 3 on paper already in my little green notebook, but I'll feel inspired to post them sooner if you review nicely. Um, I believe I owe some people some thank yous. First off, my sister, editor and "Take your notebook to school and write during class!" person, who's name I think I'm aloud to say, but I didn't get her permission! Melissa! She didn't edit the last 12 pages or so of this when I typed it because she was asleep. Acctually, when I'm writing this I just finished the typing, so she IS asleep. Anyway, she made this possible by editting it, laughing at it, laughing at _me, _and otherwise inspiring me to write. Um, I also have to thank my friend Brittany! She probably won't ever read this because her parents don't let her do diddly squat according to her, and reading yaoi fanfictions is diddly squat.

Chapter 1: Old Memories 

A young blue-haired man sat on a lush, grassy hill over looking a giant city- brightly lit with artificial glow at night. The man looked up at the sky, admiring the stars, while deep in thought. His name was Fayt, and he was remembering. Remembering another man. _Albel, _he thought longingly.

Albel was the tall, dark and handsome sort with a wicked streak- and Fayt had fallen in love with him the minute he saw him standing alone in a dark, empty corner of a middle school boy's locker room. And Albel had loved him back. Fayt remembered perfectly the way the other man's crimson eyes bored into him, watching his every move. But now... now, Fayt was separated from his lover, and engaged against his will. But it's not as if any other man would complain about marrying Sophia Esteed. She was beautiful, and rich to top it off. She had long, perfectly straight brown hair that framed her beautiful pale face and fell neatly around large, innocent green eyes.

Looks aside, Sophia had been an ordinary girl until she discovered her talent for fashion and made billions with her own lines of designer clothing. She was the envy of every woman on Earth, maybe even in the whole galaxy, and every man's dream. Sophia got everything she wanted, and what she wanted more than anything else (for the moment at least) was to marry Fayt. If it had been any other woman, Fayt would have refused, but Sophia had men ready to shoot anyone, anytime she wanted.

Sighing, the young man picked a tiny yellow flower off the ground and absently pulled the petals off it, watching the little specks of yellow fall onto the cool, green grass next to his tears. All his memories of Albel could bring was pain and nostalgia. And maybe even guilt, for letting everything happen to him.

Yet, Fayt couldn't help but remember. Albel wasn't the sort of man you could just forget. He was beautiful- tall, with pale skin and black and blonde hair that hung over deep crimson eyes and fell down past his thin shoulders. Albel had unmatched skill with his sword, but he more often found himself wielding a gun. In fact, he seemed to have found himself shooting to often for his own good.

Albel was a killer. Most who'd heard of him simply referred to him as a desperate, albeit skilled, mercenary, or perhaps a serial killer in need of money. But Fayt knew better, and so did most who had actually met the man. Albel was a killer, and it was in his blood to murder. He wasn't desperate for money, he was desperate for lives. He found satisfaction in watching another life end, knowing he did it, money or no money. But to Fayt, it didn't matter what Albel was. When he was in love, Albel was possessive, but surprisingly loyal and passionate for a man who valued the lives of others so little. That was the Albel Fayt loved. And wanted back.

Standing up, Fayt brushed several bits of grass and flower petals off him. The breeze blew his hair away from green eyes as he stared intently down at the city. Sighing, Fayt walked down the hill towards the bright, lively streets in front of him. He wasn't in the mood to remember any longer. He needed a drink. Something strong enough, perhaps, to keep Albel off his mind. Although, Fayt had often searched for such a drink, and it all just made him remember Albel more. Maybe that was why he liked alcohol so much- Albel's breath always smelled of smoke and his lips tasted faintly of beer.

Reaching the city, Fayt walked down familiar streets, watching the people go by. It was a large city, and fairly rich, too- considered one of the most fashionable places in the universe. Stylish clothes were carefully placed on mannequins or models that posed behind polished glass windows beneath designer names at nearly every shop on the street. Fayt walked further back the streets, entering the shabbier back streets where the lower class of the city was- mainly servants for richer people. Finally, he came to a small, wooden tavern with a flickering green neon sign that read "CHEAP DRINKS!" Fayt yanked open the door and entered.

The room was poorly lit by a few rusty lamps dangling on old chains from the ceiling. Wooden floorboards creaked underneath Fayt's large blue boots and he stepped further in, glaring at the few men who looked up at him. Several other drunk men slouched in their chairs, while two tall, tough looking men fought in the middle of the tavern, surrounded by cheering drunkards. Ignoring the brawl, Fayt walked straight to the bartender. She was a slim, attractive woman with long light brown hair and tanned skin, only barely old enough to work here by the looks of her. Her blue eyes met Fayt's seductively as she leaned in, studying him carefully. Sighing, Fayt asked, "What do you have?"

"Ohh, lotsa of things," the woman replied casually in a slight southern accent, winking.

"Vodka?"

"Plen'y of it."

"Good."

She turned around and poured Fayt a shot of vodka, which he gulped down instantly.

"So... what's a guy like you doing back here?" The woman asked, batting her eyelashes.

_Oh great_, Fayt thought.. "Oh, just looking for a good drink."

"Mm-hmm," she replied, not sounding as though she believed him. "We don't owe any money anymore if it's what yer after."

"Like I said, I'm not after money or anything. Just a drink."

Smiling approvingly, she continued to make friendly conversation as Fayt downed his third shot of vodka, "So what's your name?"

"Fayt."

"That's a right pretty name, you know. Mine's Remala," she said, smiling seductively.

"Remala, hmm?"

She put a hand on Fayt's shoulder and replied, "Not many good-looking men like you come 'round here you know…"

Fayt leaned in closer, his breath brushing brown hair out of Remala's face. Green eyes met blue ones. Fayt smirked and whispered, "I'm gay," before grabbing a beer Remala had left on the counter, throwing down a few Fol and stumbling to an empty table. A few other men were staring at him and whispering.

"Man, he sure is lucky."

"Wonder what he said to 'er"

"But man, she is HOT!"

"Yeah, so why'd he walk off!"

"I sure woulda stayed round!"

Fayt turned to glare at the speakers before settling himself into his seat, feet propped up on the table. He took a swig of beer and sighed deeply, staring into the bottle. _All alcohol does is bring back that day_, Fayt told himself. It wasn't long before his mind was wondering back to the very day when his life fell apart.

It had started out like any other day. Fayt woke up in a cheap hotel room littered with cigarettes and beer cans. Of course, Fayt didn't drink or smoke often. The man lying next to him couldn't say the same. Albel had come home late again, and thrown a pair of bloody gloves and a black, blood-stained tee-shirt on the floor before having a beer and a cigarette and falling next to Fayt onto the tiny bed in the hotel room they had rented, muttering about leaving town the next morning. Fayt had merely nodded, glad to be finally leaving the dreadful place. The town was a small, violent one and Albel had been too busy for Fayt's liking. But they would never leave. Fayt awoke early in the morning to Albel shaking him violently. "Albel? What's going on?" He asked sleepily, looking up into the crimson eyes of his lover. Albel swept his hand out, encompassing the room with one wide gesture. Fayt blinked to clear his emerald eyes and looked around the room. Men in crisp, red suits surrounded the small bed, pointing dull black pistols at Fayt and Albel. Shaking with fear, Fayt glanced to his right, pondering leaping out of the bed and escaping- he trusted Albel to take care of himself. Fayt found only a gun pressed against his head there. He bit his bottom lip to keep from whimpering and embarrassing Albel, though he was sure a few tiny tears had gathered in his eyes, and he blinked to clear them. Albel, however, had not lost his cool, despite another gun nearly touching his own head. In his undamaged right hand, Albel held his own silver gun. Spotting Fayt's plight, Albel swiftly raised his gun to the man who's own gun was resting on the blue haired man's head. The muscular man quickly lifted his gun off Fayt's head, and fired, skillfully shooting Albel's weapon, which flew out of his hand and hit the wall with a loud thud.

"Dammit," Albel muttered, reaching over to rest a hand on Fayt's shoulder. He glared around at the men in their suits, crimson eyes boring into blue, brown, and green ones. "He's done nothing," Albel said evenly. "I'm the killer."

Scoffing, the man next to Fayt replied, "We don't care about who you've killed. None of them were of value to us." After a thoughtful pause, he added, "We could turn you in though." Albel treated the man to a glare that sent shivers down his spine. The man continued to talk anyway in a slightly shaky voice, "But hand over him," here the man waved his gun at Fayt, who cringed, "and we'll leave you to do your killing thing."

Fayt shifted his weight uneasily, looking over at Albel. It was either have Albel betray him to save his own ass, or have Albel die or be turned in. _Please betray me and save yourself, Albel, _Fayt pleaded mentally. Either way, Fayt would have to do what these men said, and he at least wanted Albel to be ok, or at least alive and…

"No." The word was cold, slipping between Albel's lips like ice.

"ALBEL!" Fayt yelled. Avoiding the hand of the man with the gun next to him which was meant to cover his mouth, Fayt swiftly rolled onto Albel. "I'm not letting them kill you, Albel," he whispered in the dark haired man's ear. He tried to sound brave, but his voice still shook. Fayt had never had a gun pointed at him in his life until that day. Albel had always made sure his work didn't come home with him.

Fayt wrapped his hands in Albel's hair, not allowing the pale man to escape from beneath him. Staring into Albel's eyes, he called out to the men around them, "I'll go with you. Willingly. But only under my conditions." Fayt leaned in a little closer to Albel, but kept talking to the men, "When I get off of him, you won't shoot Albel." Taking a deep breath, Fayt added the final part of his deal, "If I come freely and you try to shoot him anyway, I'm going to shoot myself."

"Fayt! You fucking idiot!" The man beneath him yelled. Fayt could feel Albel's muscles tense up . "Don't you _dare_ shoot yourself, no matter what those bastards do, understand?" Albel whispered more gently, his eyes blazing with passion as he gazed into Fayt's scared green eyes. Fayt just stared back helplessly. He wanted to nod, or agree in some way, but then his threat would be dismissed as an empty one.

Finally, a tall, tan man with thick brown hair and a muscular build that looked as thought it would rip his suit in half any second replied, "Sure thing. Now stand up and come with us." Nodding to his comrades, the brown haired man tucked his gun away in his coat, where he could reach it if he needed to. The others followed his example.

Staring into his true love's eyes, Fayt found his head pulled in by a pair of slender, pale hands, and Albel's soft lips pressed gently against his own in a moment he never wanted to end. Yet seconds later, Fayt was torn off his lover and a handcuffed by a tall Mexican with large hands who was clad in the same red suits as the others.

As soon as he was free, Albel's hand flew to his fallen gun. This time he raised the gun quickly, and before anyone could react, three men were on the floor dying. Six remained unharmed and still armed. Whipping out his gun, a tall, slightly muscular man with dark skin and long, black hair shot at Albel. Albel rolled out of the tiny bed, kicking a short, pale man with ashy blonde hair. The man who had fired first shot again, and Albel dropped to the floor to avoid the bullet, snatching a hidden gun out of the blonde man's shoe.

Fayt's emerald eyes widened as he watched the scene unfold before him like something from an action movie. He was half afraid for his own life and Albel's, yet half in awe. _The stories really are true. He **does** shoot like something from another world._

The dark skinned man shot again, just barely hitting Albel's leg even as he crumpled to the ground, brown eyes devoid of life. As he stared in horror, Fayt found himself being pushed by two of the men, while another one pulled him out of the room. That left an injured Albel with one more man.

A single shot ran through the hallways of the shabby hotel. Fayt's heart was racing. _Albel... Oh, Albel, please be alive!_ Fayt was rushed through hallways and down staircases, out of that bloody hotel, before he knew who's gun had shot that fatal bullet. _If it's Albel, he'll come limping out here any minute_ _now and save me. _But Albel didn't come limping out of the hotel.

Fayt was then forced into a long, black limo with darkened windows. They drove for what felt like endless hours. Fayt didn't move a muscle or say a word the whole time. He just stared out the window, watching the small town fly by. The small town buildings faded into miles and miles of highway, which soon grew into a city. Fayt was taken to a giant mansion on the outskirts of the city, where he was greeted by Sophia Esteed.

Sophia had been Fayt's childhood friend, until they both attended the same middle school as Albel. Sophia had fancied Fayt and like most girls, she had searched frantically for signs that her love was returned. In her mind, they were to be the cutest couple in school. So, one day when she knew Fayt was skipping science class, she had pranced on down to his locker, intending to ask him out. And there she discovered his sexuality.

Albel had Fayt's wrists pinned to the lockers above him, and was in the process of sliding his tongue into the younger boy's mouth. Fayt didn't appear to be protesting much, either. His hands were on the chains attached to Albel's baggy, black pants and he was using them to pull the taller boy closer to him.

Sophia had dashed off in tears, leaving the two boys to their activities. She had grown to be popular, rich, and snobby, while Fayt and Albel grew to developing a habit of missing classes in favor of kissing in hallways. And as Fayt discovered that day at her mansion, Sophia still fancied him.

That was how Fayt Leingod came to be where he was now. At a bar in the richest city on Earth, sitting alone, and remembering that day three years ago when the man he loved died. And on the day before he was to marry a woman. Fayt certainly did not want to marry any woman, much less a stuck up rich one he hated. But the wedding would happen the next evening, nevertheless. He knew Sophia would protest his being drunk on the night before "the best day of our lives as THE cutest couple in the whole universe!", but Fayt though it fitting he be hung over on the day of what was in his eyes, his nightmare wedding.

The blue haired man frowned slightly and attempted to drag his finger along the circles in the wood on the table, but drunkenness prevented him from doing so. Hearing footsteps next to him, Fayt looked up. A crowd of men stood next to his table, all staring intently at him.

"What do you want?" Fayt asked, slightly annoyed that they would all march over here just to gawk at him like a bunch of idiots.

"Come sit wi' us," the tallest one, a man with tanned skin, greasy black hair and several missing teeth commanded. He appeared to be the unofficial leader of the group. _Oh great. I get to go have a pow wow with a bunch of drunkards._ Fayt picked up his beer, which was now half empty, and followed the men to their table, which was located in a prime spot between the door and the counter. It appeared as though they often used this table, perhaps every night, for their names were scratched into it multiple times with several incorrect spellings. The leader gestured for Fayt to sit next to him.

_Not just any pow wow with any drunkards. I get to pow wow with the lead drunkard of the drunkard group with their very own table. _Fayt's sarcastic thoughts were interrupted by a new beer being shoved into his hands by one of the drunkards. He nodded at the leader to begin. The man stuck his hand out and proudly proclaimed, "I be Bill Seaford."

_American drunkards,_ Fayt noted, shaking the man's hand. "Masahiro's the name," he lied casually. He couldn't let these men know he was the man marrying Sophia Esteed.

"Masahiro….." Bill look thoughtful for a brief moment.

"Yeah?"

"What's a man like you doin down here? Ya look too….rich ta be down here wi' us."

_So this Bill isn't as stupid as he looks._ "Nah. I just look it. I'm no rich man."

"You sho' talk like one."

Fayt nodded, and was thankful he was a good liar. "I went to a school when I was a little kid. They thought me how to talk good, that's all."

Bill accepted this as the truth after some careful thought. "So what's your secret?"

"Secret?"

Bill winked and pointed subtly at Remala. "She was all close ter ya and you jus' walked off. Firs' off, thanks fer backin' off my territory. Secon', how'd ya get 'er so in'rested so fas'?"

Fayt tried to drunkenly piece together an answer, not even pausing to laugh inwardly about Bill thinking Remala was his territory. "Well, I just walk up there, acting all fancy like, and act kinda like I got better things to do than be here, but like I still wants a drink from her. Makes her kinda…surprised, you know, a man coming down here and not bothering to hit on her. So that makes her feel a little bit like she's got something to prove, and needs to win me over."

Bill's face lit up and he signaled for the man to his left to pass Fayt another beer. _Free beer for giving advice about women that's total bullshit. Not bad._

"So all I gotta do is act all like I gots better things to do then hit on 'er an' she'll feel like _she_ has to win _me_ over?"

"Yeah, that's about it." Fayt nodded, taking a swing of beer.

"I likes it. You's a good man, Masahiro." Bill paused momentarily. "You come here often?"

"No, I usually try out different bars different nights."

Bill nodded. He paused again to think some more, than added, "Well you're welcome as one of us anytime."

Fayt smiled weakly and stood up, shaking Bill's hand and saying, "I'd better be getting home now." Fayt walked along the creaky floor and pushed open the door, taking in a breath of fresh air. He chucked the now empty beer bottle onto the clod, hard pavement of a nearly abandoned street. _Straight men. What a bunch of pigs. No respect for anyone but their own kind._ Fayt kicked a rock, his eyes blurring with tears as he mentally quoted Albel, who wasn't particularly fond of straight men getting in his way and asking questions like that.

_If Albel were there, he probably would have glared at them with those eyes….those amazing eyes…_ Fayt's thoughts trailed off as he trudged back down the streets, stumbling slightly every once in a while due to drunkenness. _Albel never had problems with being drunk. Always drank…and I could always taste that liquor on his lips and his tongue…_ A tear coursed down Fayt's cheek. When he was drunk, Fayt's thoughts tended to roam uncontrollably to Albel.

The half drunk man stumbled along, pondering going to another bar for the night rather than returning to that hellhole Sophia called a mansion. Deciding he might as well try to make it back and get some sleep before his wedding, Fayt continued along. He made it to the hill he had been on several hours earlier and collapsed on the lush, green grass, grabbing chunks the cold, damp greenness in his shaking hands.

The wind dashed playfully across Fayt's pale face. Green eyes closed as Fayt breathed in the fresh air with a giant sigh. Calming down, Fayt drifted off into sleep, let his mind take him away to another world where everything was ok. His dreams were unusually pleasant, despite the alcohol and the day's events. And the fact that his dead lover appeared in every single dream Fayt had that night- comforting Fayt, hugging Fayt, kissing Fayt.

So the day ended peacefully for the man, who was entirely oblivious to what that little thing called destiny had planned for him the next day.

**Author's Ending Note: **I typed this in a pretty bad state of mind (I'm hearing voices), but see the button down there that lets YOU, yes, that's right, YOU, submit a review for me to read and to boost my ego even if this is the worst fanfiction you've ever read? Click it. Maybe I'll even let my super awesome serial killer Albel and his super cute boyfriend who cowers at the sight of a gun answer some of your questions. I'd post the name of the next Chapter here, but I can't exactly call Kat at 1:30 and ask what I should call it.

PS: I came up with the name "Old Memories" for this chapter. If by the time you're reading this, and it's changed to something better, then you begin to understand my bad way with naming things. Maybe Kat could write my summary, too.


	2. Revenge

**Disclaimer:** I woke up this morning, and I said to myself, "Oh no! I don't own the rights to Star Ocean!" So then I added a penny to my jar so I could save up. And Albel's views of straight men do not reflect my own.

**Date Posted:**

**Author's Note: **I'm back, writing chapter 2! The reviews have been absolutely amazing, especially considering how small the Star Ocean fanbase is (Small and awesome! Hell yeah!). And I DID get Preston (meh sexy and decidedly straight boyfriend) to read the story. You can imagine my amusement. He got bored with Albel and Fayt and stopped though. Speaking of them, Albel and Fayt send you all their love.

Albel: looks up from making out with Fayt We do?

ahem Yes. Also, now would be a great time for me to mention that this fanfiction is based off the My Chemical Romance CD Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge (which I also don't own the rights to, in case you thought I did). If you absolutely hate them or their CD, then just ignore it and read on. Those of you who like the CD may find a few lines from it here and there. Especially in Chapter 3. Now, without further adieu I present to you, Chapter 2!

Chapter 2: Revenge 

Fayt felt a sharp pain on his left shoulder. _Dammit. _It was his wedding day. He snapped open his eyes and found himself staring into a multicolored sky. _Must be sunrise,_ Fayt thought sleepily as he yawned. He sighed and stood up, running a hand through his hair to free it of grass. Looking around, Fayt took in his surroundings.

Fayt was on a hill between Sophia's mansion and the city. The city was bathed in orange light from the rising sun, which reflected off the buildings. Cars were already speeding down the roads and people walked down the streets, sipping at coffee. The whole city seemed to be buzzing with excitement, much of it because of the upcoming wedding. Everyone knew about it, and most of the rich were attending in hopes of gaining favor with Sophia, which was sure to mean one thing: money. _The most beautiful sunrise couldn't take the filth of greed away from this place._

The sound of a man coughing politely drew Fayt out of his thoughts. "Mr. Fayt?" Fayt turned to his left, where a man was clad in the usual crimson.

"Yeah?"

"You should recall that you are marrying Miss Esteed this evening." Of course he did. Fayt looked down for a moment, then nodded.

"Then I would suggest that you prepare yourself for such an occasion." The man smirked slightly, as if holding back laughter. As if to share his amusement, be handed Fayt a small mirror and turned back to the mansion, walking off into the distance. Fayt lifted the glass to his face, and indeed the man's amusement became clear.

Blue hair was tangled and flew everywhere as though trying to escape from Fayt's head. Below foggy green eyes were huge bags from lack of sleep. Mud has splattered across his left cheek, reaching out to touch his chin, and dirt was smeared on his forehead. Picking a piece of grass from his lip, Fayt threw the mirror on the ground and watched it shatter. The tiny glass fragments reflected the light from the rising sun, like a thousand tiny sparkles of orange light in the grass.

Spinning around, Fayt walked slowly back to the mansion. It was a large building, sixteen floors high. The whole thing was build out of ancient-looking gray stone, making it look like a medieval castle plopped beside a modern city. At the front of the giant building were two wooden doors, polished to perfection and adorned with gold handles. One handle was in the shape of an 'S' while the other formed a shining 'E', proudly proclaiming the mansion Sophia's.

Fayt wrapped a pale hand around the 'S' handle and yanked open one of the oak doors. _Looks like she's even got the doorman busy._ He stepped inside his prison and onto a fashionable thick, velvety red carpet. And he was met with total chaos.

Men in their red suits and women in short pleated crimson skirts and tight button-up tops of a similar hue dashed around, redecorating for the evening's event. Curtains, rugs, and table cloths of every color, shape and size were being torn down in favor of white accents. Furniture was covered in smooth, decorative white slips. Sophia was nowhere to be found, so a woman clad in a servants uniform stood in front of an altar that had been placed in the back of the long entrance hallway. She was directing a group of strong-looking men carrying in benches for the thousands of guests.

A group of women passed by Fayt, giggling and gossiping. A tall, blonde woman tapped a short redhead on the shoulder, and pointed at the blue haired man. There was an outburst of whispering among the group, as one by one they turned to look at Fayt then back to giggle with the rest of the group. Fayt watched them, holding back laughter as they giggled and pointed.

However, he was considerably less amused as the tall blonde who has started the giggling and pointing walked up to him, followed by her group and announced that they were going to fix him up. "Fix me up?" Fayt asked sarcastically, wondering if they had gone insane.

"Yup! You're a total mess!" One woman chirped as the blonde grabbed Fayt's arm and dragged him off to his room. Throwing the door open and dragging in a protesting Fayt, the women stepped into his room; many of them still giggling. A wall, slim woman with brown hair to her shoulders and peachy skin ripped off his stained clothes, throwing a bucket of warm soapy water over his head. Fayt spit soap out of his mouth and tried to claw more of the foul suds out of his eyes.

"Awe, he's so cute!" One woman squealed.

"I know!"

"Sophia and him are going to be _the_ greatest couple!"

Fayt attempted to shoot a glare their way that Albel might have been proud of, but ended up wincing as a comb was yanked through his tangled blue hair. Whimpering in protest, Fayt reluctantly allowed them to pluck his eyebrows. Eventually, he became too lost in his own thoughts to complain. Thinking about Albel again. And with no way to drink the pain away, he missed the killer more than he had yesterday, or any of the drunken nights like it.

_If only you could see me now Albel_, Fayt thought, wincing slightly as someone yanked out another bit of his eyebrow. _Maybe if you were here, I wouldn't be afraid._ Though he wasn't even sure what to fear, Fayt _was_ scared. For three years he had been molded into what Sophia wanted him to be. This has included everything from various attempts to turn him straight to being forced to wear her stupid clothes everywhere he went. Fayt hadn't tried hard at anything- he was simply waiting for the publicity to wear off and Sophia to get tired of him.

Unfortunately for Fayt, the publicity never really wore off. Any time he was with Sophia, there were cameras shoved in his face. The magazines depicted them as the perfect couple, and Fayt as the cute and romantic guy who had been lucky to find Sophia again after all those years apart. Sophia made sure no one knew how Fayt had really spent his time after high school, "Always running from place to place, sleeping with that serial killer," as she put it. And now here he was, trapped in her white flowery hell.

Fayt snapped out of his thoughts to find himself being shoved into a crisp new suit, that no doubt cost more than he or Albel would ever have seen in their whole lives had he been allowed to live without Sophia.

"You look good."

"Ohmigod, he looks ADORABLE!"

"So perfect for the weeding!"

"Definitely!"

Fayt sighed as he was pushed out of the room and told to wait around until the ceremony, and that he was not to get a single speck of dirt on him. Nodding in obedience, which earned him more delighted squeals, Fayt walked slowly down the hallway, his hands shoved in his pockets. He looked considerably better than before, true, but he felt sick to his stomach. Emerald eyes glared intensely at a vase of flowers as their owner considered running away.

_Sophia sure would throw a fit. I bet she would chase after me too. It might even scar her reputation. _Fayt smirked in a way that was slightly reminiscent of his dead lover, and dragged his nails across a wall, still deep in thought. _I bet she would find a way to make herself still look good though. That's her "talent" like she says. Selling herself, no matter how bad her situation really is. Regardless, there's nowhere to run to. I'm trapped._

Sighing quietly, Fayt silently headed for the kitchen, disappearing from the crowds like a ghost. It was, in fact, Albel who had taught him how to walk to quietly and sneak through crowds. The dead man wanted to make sure Fayt never got in trouble because of his work, and had made sure his lover was well-versed in the art of escape. The blue haired man would never have willingly escaped and left his Albel behind, but he never said so.

Having successfully gotten away from the crowd, Fayt made his way through empty stone hallways now covered in elaborate decorations to celebrate the night's occasion. _Yeah, it's gonna be tons of fun,_ Fayt thought sarcastically. Reaching the kitchen, Fayt threw open the large metal door and heard a yelp as it hit an unsuspecting chef. He ignored the noise and stepped into the chaos that was the constantly drunk chefs Sophia kept penned up in the kitchen and a small bedroom joined to it.

The other chefs laughed at their fallen comrade stood up, bottle of vodka in hand, and rubbed his head. "Fayt, Fayt, yer here!" called out one chef as he tossed spices on a fat steak.

Smiling slightly, Fayt nodded and replied, "It seems it's my wedding day."

A short, tan chef with messy black hair gave Fayt a hard pat on the back, causing him to flinch slightly. "Ohhh, how I pity you."

"Aye, poor Fayt!" called out a few other chefs

"I propose a toast!" yelled the head chef, raising a glass of wine.

"Aye, a toast!" several others agreed

The head chef called out, "To Fayt, but decidedly not to Sophia!"

There was drunken laughter, and a clinking of glasses around the room, followed by loud whoops and cheering. The chefs were Fayt's only real friends anymore. They understood what it was like to be practically owned by Sophia. She had pulled some out of restaurants she favored and others out of nowhere and offered them free food and a place to stay. For various reasons, they had accepted the offer, and were now living in a tiny room in a mansion. They referred to themselves as "Sophia's other prisoners" and somehow found enjoyment in spending their days like this.

The chefs quieted down as Fayt took a seat on a counter in the center of the room. Spotting a beer bottle that was nearly full, Fayt reached a hand out to grab it. Smirking slightly, the head chef informed him, "Miss Esteed tol' us you can't be gettin' all drunk-like before yer wedding, or we're dead."

Fayt scowled deeply. "It's not as though I want to remember the day or anything." He replied darkly, taking a sip of the beer anyway. This caused more laughter and cheering, lead by the fat head chef.

As the chefs calmed down, or at least got as calm as they ever were, Geraldo, the head chef, asked quietly, "So're ya really gunna do this?"

Fayt sat in silence for a moment. _Albel…I miss you more than ever. But I know what I have to do. I have nowhere to go if I don't marry Sophia._ He nodded. Silence fell over the kitchen like a blanket.

Geraldo spun around and announced, "Then I guess we got a wedding to make happen, dun we?"

"Aw, common, this whole thing's a joke!"

"I can't believe I'm cookin' fer some publicity stunt of a wedding!"

"Yeah!"

Fayt chuckled as the protesting chefs turned back to their work. The younger man washing the dishes had turned to some pots and started banging on them rhythmically with a fork and a knife, like he was a drummer in a rock band. Laughing and taking another gulp of beer, Fayt sat back and watched a giant cake being built beside him. "Does it have to be so big?" He asked, turning his head to the side and licking a bit of icing off the side of the edible masterpiece.

"Faaaaayt, you licked my cake!" The teenage girl placing white gumdrops on the cake replied, fixing the spot.

"I know, it's huge."

Grinning mischievously, she replied, "You don't need a cake, you know."

Spinning around at this, Geraldo matched the girl's smile. "Ingenious!"

"What?" She asked, picking a bit of white icing out of her brown hair.

"We should topple the cake." Geraldo answered evenly.

Beer came flying out of Fayt's nose. "Do WHAT to my wedding cake?"

"Topple it over. Knock it down, Tower of Babel style."

"Did you just compare MY wedding cake to a bible story?"

"Possibly, but that's not the point." Geraldo gestured toward the cake. "You know how we love Sophia. Let's knock down her wedding cake."

"Yes, let's!" Chimed in the brunette.

A group of other chefs gathered around, nodding in agreement. Fayt grinned and nodded. "Sounds like fun."

"That's our Fayt! Rebel! Rebel!"

Fayt clenched his hand into a fist. The man doing dishes gave him a loud drumroll. A pale fist collided hard with the defenseless wedding cake, and icing flew everywhere as the great cake toppled over. There was loud clapping and a bang of pots and pans from the sink.

"Alright! This wedding is really shaping up!"

"Shit, I burned the rolls!"

"That was _awesome!"_

Once again, excited chefs turned back to their work. The girl next to Fayt dipped her hand into a pile of white icing and licked it from her fingers. Trying to talk around the icing, she casually remarked, "You realize you have no wedding cake."

Sighing, Fayt replied, "A small rebellion, but better than none at all."

Leaning back against the counter, she continued. "I take it you'd rather be back with Albel."

The blue haired man nodded in response. A silence fell over the two. Turning back to the counter, the girl picked up four layers of the cake and stuck them on top of each other, evening out the icing and placing a few gumdrops on the corners. "There we go," she said to herself, seeming satisfied that it was acceptable, but not nearly as grand as the previous cake. Fayt opened his mouth to comment on it, but was interrupted by the metal doors flying open.

A man walked in, dressed in a bright crimson suit. Black hair hung over his eyes as he looked down, but he threw his head up and revealed gray stone-like eyes the scoured the room. "The hell's going on in here? We can hear you bastards yelling and screaming from the fourth fucking floor. Sophia's pretty damn pissed, says the guests are starting to arrive you're ruining the pre-wedding gathering."

_Pre-wedding gathering? Do they **need** to party 2 hours before we get up there? _Fayt kicked a potato across the floor, watching the brown lump roll unevenly and hit a wall, anything to avoid the newcomer's eyes. Fayt looked up from the floor carefully, only to find those intense gray eyes staring at him. "Are you the groom?" The man asked softly, reaching out a hand to stroke Fayt's chin. The blue haired man heard the girl who made the cake (the chefs called her Ginger) giggling drunkenly. Green eyes met gray like an ocean wave colliding with a rock. Fayt lost himself in the other man's gaze, forgetting how to talk. _Something about him…something very much much like me._

"Yes. I am," Fayt answered as cutely as possible, at least able to remember his role as the uke as the ability to speak came rushing back to him.

"It's a shame you aren't more cooperative. She doesn't have to marry _you._" The man's gray eyes traveled up and down Fayt and he leaned in so his hot breath blew gently over Fayt's ear as he whispered "But it would be such a waste if she didn't. You know," he smirked slightly, "You can stay in my room if the two of you ever have a little fight." Fayt breathed heavily. There was definitely something strange about this man. Through his very essence he seemed to understand Fayt. Even if he worked for Sophia.

"I'm marrying Sophia," Fayt protested weakly, as the man leaned in closer to him. He wrapped his hands around the back of Fayt's head and pushed his lips onto Fayt's. Closing his gray eyes, the man forcefully pried Fayt's lips apart with his tongue, swiftly taking control. _Albel was a better kisser…_Fayt sighed against the man's lips, and felt a hand run through his hair. Pulling back to breathe, the taller man whispered, "My name's Doem."

"Doem…" Fayt test out the name, whispering. Doem smiled and nodded.

"And you must be Fayt. Sophia's next victim." Gray eyes blazed with anger and he spit on the ground. Fayt nodded carefully.

"You…..work for her?" The blue haired man asked nervously.

"Unfortunately, yes. But I think I can explain." Doem wrapped an arm around Fayt's waist and as the kitchen began to return to normal, the two men wandered off around the mansion, while Doem told his story.

"I suppose it begins back when I was younger. 16, about. That's when I met Rehm. He was a quiet sort. He had this long brown hair, so soft. And the most amazing blue eyes…..We met in high school. I was a writer. Anyway, I wrote a piece about Albel."

Fayt flinched at the sound of the name, but let Doem continue.

"I explained all about the two of you, too. I told how Albel was a serial killer, but he fell in love, too. I knew a lot about the two of you….you might be surprised. Sophia didn't want the world to know that you were with Albel. She still wanted you for herself. So she threatened me. I didn't take her seriously, and I wasn't going to give up on the truth about him. It was foolish of me. She killed Rehm, and told me I wasn't to do anything with that writing, or I was next."

Fayt bit his lip. _All that because of me and Albel…_ As if sensing Fayt's guilt, Doem shook his head. "It wasn't your fault. I wanted to tell the truth, to prove a point. Sophia gave me the same thing she did you. Told me we were all stupid fags and killed the man I loved. Worst of all, I did what she wanted."

Running his finger over the hem of Doem's jacket, Fayt remarked, "Sometimes we're made by the sharpest things they say."

Doem nodded in understanding. _Albel was shaped by all the bad things. And it made him violent; got him killed._

"So how did you end up working for her?" The blue haired man asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over them.

"I need my revenge. _We_ need our revenge. If we let that bitch live, this is going to happen again and again to a thousand other men. One homophobe shouldn't stop a whole city from being in love……And," Gray eyes looked straight into green, "Don't you want to avenge him?" _He understands._ The two stopped by a doorframe and kissed softly, back into the room behind Fayt.

"I want revenge," Fayt said evenly. The two men smiled slowly at the same time, then locked lips again, only to be interrupted by a loud footstep at the door.

Another man in a crimson suit walked in slowly; black boots echoing against the floor to fill the otherwise heavy silence. He had blonde hair that hung down to his ear lobes in layers, and pale green eyes that were cold as ice, offset by tanned skin.

"Doem! The hell's going on in here?" The blonde man looked from his co-worker to Fayt. "Oh. I see. Well then." The man pulled out a gun. "Sophia doesn't like traitors."

Doemlaughed loudly. "Shoot me. Go for it. We both know I'm not here to kiss that bitch's ass. I just want revenge, then I'm out."

Doem continued, his voice burning with hatred as he yelled, "Revenge. Sweet revenge. That bitch you're marrying had Rehm killed. He was the only man I ever loved. I'm not letting her get away with this. Not without at least a little disturbance of her wedding."

Fayt smiled again. Doem was serious about this.

"God dammit, Doem! Get a grip on yourself!"

"No! Get out of my revenge, you bastard!"

There was a loud gunshot. Doem smiled slightly as he fell down, blood pouring from his chest like a red river. "Fayt….You know what to do…Give 'em hell, kid…." he whispered, and closed his eyes, giving in to eternal sleep. Fayt kneeled down next to his dead body, not shedding a single tear. Just staring at his lifeless face. _He was like an angel, sent just to tell me what I have to do, then taken away again._

The man in the doorway coolly sheathed his gun inside his jacket. "The man's dead. We can keep quiet about this, I trust?"

Fayt swallowed hard. _He knew…he knew exactly what I went through. I could tell from the moment I saw him we both had a gaping hole in our souls, an empty black void Sophia ripped open A hole that will eventually swallow both of us._

"You bastard," Fayt breathed out. "I have no choice, do I! I have to bend to your will, to Sophia's will, I have to do everything you all say."

"Good," the man said too cheerfully, "You're disgusting. You deserve it."

The blonde man stepped forward and scooped up the body. He walked out of the tiny room, leaving it to the silence it had enjoyed before the murder, but for the still echoing dripping of blood from the lifeless man he held in his arms. Fayt glared long and hard at the puddle of red on the floor, as thought willing it to disappear and make everything ok.

Grabbing a sharp rock from the corner of the room, Fayt carved on the spot where Doem had died a single word- Revenge. Leaving that to serve as a grave, Fayt walked slowly out of the room, the pounding of his feet echoing in the silence he left behind. _Albel. We never wanted it to be this way._

The lonely blue haired man slowly sat down, his back against the cold stone wall of an empty hallway. Silence threatened to cave in on him. "Albel." He said aloud, clear voice cutting through the air. "I want you back. Doem showed me what I have to do. I have to avenge him, Rehm, and mostly you. Are you going to get me killed? I'd still miss you. Even if I were dying because of a foolish attempt to avenge _you_. I mean that more than words can say. I don't even know if you can hear these words. Maybe you're listening to these words from the seventh circle of hell, where you're drowning in a river of the blood of those you killed. Or maybe…." Fayt gulped. "Maybe you can't hear me at all." Silence fell again.

"The silence before the storm," Fayt whispered to himself

"Then let the storm begin." Sophia's cold voice cut across the silence as she walked slowly into the hallway, still dressed in a pair of jeans and a light pink designer sweater. Fayt looked up, meeting her soft green eyes with his burning, angry ones of a deeper color. Her voice was soft and commanding. "The wedding is in an hour."

"One more hour…" A cold voice muttered from the floor above them, unaware of the drama unfolding beneath him. Black hair hung low over the eyes of the speaker. He fumbled with a gun inside of his long black trench coat, checking to be sure it was loaded. In one hour, there would be blood. Crimson eyes sparkled at the thought. Blood, and death.

**Author's Note:** Ahh, I did it! I killed someone! Um, the almighty editor of fanfiction aka my sister thinks that the part with Doem is kind of random and looks like a space filler…..he's sort there to guide Fayt, like he says, like an angel. Um, review lots! Yes, yes, review. Reviews and Coca Cola are really the driving forces behind this. Like, your review can just say "Cool." Or "Albel is hot." Or "Where's the lemon, you bitch?" For all I care. Just say something (something besides a flame, preferably)


	3. Wedding Day

**Disclaimer: **Once upon a time there was a princess named Tolanya. She was sitting in the back of her math class writing fanfiction, when one of the many morons that infect her school asked her what she was doing. And she answered, "I, Tolanya, do not own Star Ocean. This delicious Albel is not mine. But I'm writing about him, if you must know."

**Date Posted: **November 17, 2005

**Author's Note: **Chapter 3. Ah yes. My grandma keeps coming down here and living in the office so I can't type up fanfiction. Then I got banned from he computer. Because I'd rather write than do homework. And now she's here again. Oh, and I have to go to church when meh grandma's here. Blaaaaaaah.You've read this fanfiction. You should know I hate church. Oh shit, I'm rambling. Fuck this, just read the goddamn chapter, it's what you're here for.

**Chapter 3:** Wedding Day

Fayt found himself being prepared for his wedding yet again. _This place is feeling less like a house and more like a tomb. _A woman next to him, as if reading his thoughts, remarked, "You look so….dead. Cheer, up, it's the best day of your life!" Before Fayt could react, a flowery perfume was sprayed in his face. _I thought I was supposed to be more manly than flowers?_ He choked on the heavy perfume as it fell into his open mouth, and Fayt was unable to respond to the woman aloud.

"Hm…" she muttered, sniffing the air and spraying more perfume, which served only to cloud Fayt's vision. Around him, he could only hear girls squealing about how adorable he looked, or who they would dance with at the wedding. _I guess there's no backing out now…Doem's final wish may never be carried out. _"Alright, now you just head off to that wedding, and don't make a mess of things!" A slender hand pushed Fayt out of the room and into a long empty hallway.

"Better get going," he muttered and walked down the marble hallway to an empty elevator. Stepping into the space, Fayt noted that it, too was decorated. White curtains hung over mirrored walls, and a bouquet of white flowers was stapled neatly to the wall in each corner. He twisted his mouth and wondered if he was the only one blinded by all the white. _I swear I'm never going to another wedding again._ _Except, of course, that Sophia gets to decide what to do with my life._

Fayt spun to face the array of white buttons. This elevator only went up to ten, but he was almost certain there were fifteen floors in the mansion. Why one woman and her servants needed fifteen floors was beyond him, but the number of floors in Sophia's house was the least of his concerns. The elevator moved slowly down, giving Fayt time to ponder the doom it was bringing him to.

"Sophia Esteed…" he whispered. "My childhood friend, and later my enemy.. Miss perfect. Prom queen in her senior year too, according to everyone else." Fayt hadn't been in school by that point, having run away with Albel halfway through his junior year of highschool. "I suppose," he mused, "she had her share of problems beneath the perfect mask. It does take a rather…troubled person to force a gay man to be your husband because you think it would make you perfect."

He sat down, now thinking more deeply about how strange Sophia was to someone who had seen her become what she is now. "Always trying so hard to be perfect….it's kind of covered up who she really is…or was." He could clearly recall now, how she had never failed at anything. "She must have spent most of her life practicing…for anything she might ever have to do." Yes, it seemed Sophia knew how to do everything. Fayt had never questioned it before- some people are just like that. "Then again, I wouldn't put it past Sophia to go out of her way to be perfect…It must be hard. Even for her." He laughed a little. "But I'm about the last guy to start showing her some sympathy right now."

The elevator gave a cheerful ding as it reached the first floor. "Regardless of her (or my) mental condition, she's my bride now." He twisted his mouth. "Fayt Esteed….nah, sounds lame. Oh well." The metals doors slid neatly open, and the blue haired man carefully stepped onto the marble floor, and snuck to the back of the aisle.

Thousands of eyes were on Fayt and he nearly stumbled as he stepped onto the aisle. It seemed, to him, like a long path of doom. Approaching the altar, he turned around, and was relieved of the pressure of all the people staring as Sophia entered. She was, of course, wearing a new and stylish white dress. It was strapless, with silver patterns on the top, and it dragged behind her gracefully in layers. There were ohhs and ahhs from the women in the crowd, many of whom poked their husbands, trying to get a similar response. Somewhere a little girl whispered, "Cinderella!" only to shushed by her mother.

Fayt and Sophia, however, had locked eyes. Fayt was glaring angrily, while Sophia smiled obliviously like a broken Barbie doll. She reached the altar and smiled again at the priest as thunder boomed outside. "Lovely storm we're having," she whispered to Fayt. He smiled back as the priest began to speak slowly about marriage. _Priest guy here isn't half bad….nice eyes,_ Fayt thought as the priest's blue eyes looked to him. Snapping back into reality, he realized it was time for him to say 'I do.' He opened his mouth uncertainly. "I…..I d-"

At the exact moment, there was a scream from the balcony. Fayt looked up in time to see a tall man with long, black hair leap down from the balcony and land kneeling behind the bride and groom. He was dressed in a long, black trench coat and holding a black gun. The man looked up at Fayt, who gasped. Albel's red eyes met green, and Fayt yelled, "Albel!" The man smirked in a distinctly Albel way, and Fayt grinned broadly, his heart skipping a beat. _He's alive! Albel lived!_ Albel stood up and pointed his gun directly at Sophia.

"Fayt's not marrying you, bitch."

People in the crowd screamed and ducked under chairs. Sophia merely smiled at Albel. "Oh, but he is. You see, this is our wedding. I don't know how you got in here, but I do know that you're going to leave."

The tall man laughed at this. "I'm not going anywhere without him." He grabbed a bewildered Fayt and dragged him closer, holding the younger man's head against his chest. Fayt could see nothing of what was going on, only able to hear the yelling. He wrapped his arms around Albel and clung to the other man, while Sophia yelled, "Men! Get your guns!"

"Shit," Albel muttered, tightening his grip on Fayt. "Don't panic, ok? I'm going to try to fight." Fayt nodded, tears of fear forming in his eyes. "And whatever you do," Albel added, "Don't look." Nodding again, Fayt squeezed his eyes shut. He assumed Albel must have known how much he hated to see death. Suddenly, there was a loud bang very near Fayt, and a scream. The blue haired man whimpered as Albel fired again, killing several more of the men.

"You know Sophia, this rather wastes your men's lives," the killer called out before killing another man. "If you let me take him. I'll leave you alone."

"You are not going ANYWHERE with my husband!" Sophia screeched.

Suddenly, Fayt found himself on the cold floor, underneath Albel. Opening his eyes, he saw the other man shooting furiously as he cassually informed Fayt, "I was dodging a bullet." Fayt nodded in understanding, clinging to Albel tighter. _He hasn't changed much, _Fayt mused, examining his lover for the first time in years. Albel was still the same killer on the outside- cold and deadly. His hair had grown longer, shielding crimson eyes, and was now completely black. Fayt swore Albel was stronger too, but he was still thin, with no visible muscle. The blue haired man knew Albel would never let himself "look any fatter" as he put it. Reaching a hand up to the back of his head, Fayt noted that Albel no longer had braids in the back of his hair either.

"Fayt," the killer whispered. Fayt looked up at him, while Albel shot down man after man, rolling so they couldn't get him. "We need to escape."

Fayt nodded, and asked, "Where are we going?"

Albel look at his lover apologetically and replied, "I have no fucking idea. My plan was to run in here, shoot the bitch, grab you, and run for the hills." He rolled over, dragging them away from a bullet. "But I don't think I can get her now."

"Albel, it doesn't matter if you kill Sophia or not, can we just get out of here?" Fayt whimpered slightly as he finished.

"Do you really want a hundred of these bastards chasing after us?" Albel replied coldly, shooting one.

Fayt's eyes shone with child-like adoration as he answered, "You'll keep me safe." At this, Albel smirked and kissed Fayt lightly, rolling away from yet another bullet.

"Then I suppose we should get out of here." Albel wrapped a hand around Fayt's waist and pulled both of them up, dashing for the door.

"No need to leave so soon," Sophia's sweet voice called out. Albel stopped and spun to face her. _No, Albel! Run! Go!_ Fayt buried his face in Albel's jacket, biting nervously at the buckles.

"Oh, but we really must be going," Albel called back, and spun to face the door, but didn't move. Fayt looked to see what was wrong, to find a line of men stood in front of it, guns pointed uncertainly at the killer. Soft footsteps got closer.

"I want my husband back," Sophia said simply.

"It's not happening, bitch. Fayt's mine and mine alone," the killer stated firmly.

Sophia laughed, a soft laugh, like a princess from a movie. "You're sadly mistaken. I'm sure he's great to have around for sex, but I want to have a nice, decent marriage like a normal person."

Albel held Fayt closer, if that was even possible, and his voice was suddenly very cold, and deathly serious "Fayt's not some cheap fuck. I love him. And that, maggot, is something you will never be able to say."

The room fell silent. Somewhere a child cried out and was silenced. The smell of blood filled the air, and Sophia answered softly, "You think I don't care about him? Ever since middle school I've had to compete with _you_. But did I quit? No. I never. Ever. Gave. Up." Each word echoed in Fayt's head.

"If you had really loved him, you stupid bitch, you would have let him do what he wanted."

"YOU THINK WHAT HE WANTS IS TO BE KIDNAPPED AWAY FROM HIS WEDDING BY A SERIAL KILLER?"

"Acctually," Albel raised his gun, "I do."

Sophia frowned slightly. "Men!" She said sharply. "I want one of you to fire. Directly at his head. Don't hit Fayt."

"Shit!" Fayt whimpered again as Albel turned to face the men. Before they had even decided who was to shoot, Fayt heard ten shots, and ssumed all the men were dead. Sophia whisteled loudly, and there was a stampede of loud footsteps, and a flurry of bullets.

Before he could even face his enemies, a bullet crashed into Albel's left hip. "Bastards," the killer muttered. "I'm almost out of bullets, Fayt. Hang on." The black haired man ran towards the door, limping only slightly. Fayt was slammed into the door as Albel flung it open and ran into the cold, stormy night.

Rain poured onto the couple. Albel breathed heavily, his feet pounding quickly against the ground. Mud splashed against the killer's legs, hitting Fayt. "Albel…" he whispered, "I can run. You're hurt…"

"Shhh. They're coming. We need to get away, and quickly."

Fayt frowned and tugged lightly on Albel's black hair. "I can run," he insisted. Sighing, Albel kissed his lover gently.

"Hush and don't worry about it."

Fayt silently wrapped his arm's around Albel's neck, submitting.

It didn't take long for Sophia's men to catch up. They were pouring out the door and chasing after the two men in a few short minutes. Fayt bit his lip and watched in fear as Albel reached back and fired without looking, taking down only a few men. One caught up to them, and the killer spun around, and swiftly kicked the back of his knees, causing him to fall. Albel shot him from the ground, bloody rainwater flying up to land on Fayt's cheek. Albel spun back around and kept running.

"Where're we going?" Fayt asked anxiously.

"There's a Mexican food place up here. No security, really. They trust rich people to have a reputation to uphold. It's right on the outside of the city."

The blue haired man smiled briefly. This was the Albel he knew. Even when he was completely wreckless, Albel managed to pull through and save both of them. Fayt leaned his head on his lover's chest and breathed in deeply. The taller man smelled of blood and death, though Fayt didn't find that too unusual for him.

"Albel…"

"Yeah?"

"Are we going to live in a restaurant?"

Albel grimaced and answered, "We're going to live somewhere far,far away from this city." He paused. "But what would be a visit to a rich city if we didn't destroy a few places, hm?"

Fayt smirked as Albel leapt to the left, hiding the two behind a brick building with a sign that proudly proclaimed in sleek silver lettering, "The Finest Designer Fashions!"

"It's right down there," Albel said, pointing further down the city border

"Why'd we stop?" Fayt leaped onto the ground, standing on his own.

His lover whipped a gun out of his coat. "Out of bullets," he remarked before sweeping up Fayt and taking off again. A well-aimed bullet flew towards them, and though Albel jerked Fayt out of the way, it managed to hit his arm. _Pain. Pain._ Fayt's thoughts were clouded by the sudden pain. He looked down to the injured arm. There was blood, but it was nowhere near fatal.

"Shit!" Albel clamped his hand over the other man's arm and asked softly, "Are you ok?"

Fayt tried to respond, but struggled to get out words. _It…hurts…_He managed to make a strange, pained noise before closing his eyes and giving in to a fit of coughing. _Pain. Pain. So much blood and pain._

"Keep..running," he managed, opening his eyes just enough to see a worried Albel shoot a man.

"Don't worry about anything, ok?" Albel's voice was reassuring. Fayt nodded slowly and closed his eyes again. _Albel will take care of it…._

**Author's Note: **Phew. Finally, Chapter 3! I apologize very much for the wait. And, um, hm, what to do with this note? Whenever I review fanfiction, I always wonder what the author thought of my reivew, or if they even read it. So, I read all your reviews. And I know who's added this to their favorite (yes, that means **you** Mr.IDon'tReviewButAddYourStoryToMyFavoritesList ). So, I liked all the reviews! Chapter 4 will rock, so be ready!


	4. Gunfight

**Disclaimer: **So, have you played Star Ocean? Hopefully. Did Albel and Fayt have sex? Not as far as I know. Now- what conclusions can we draw from this? I don't own Star Ocean.

**Date Posted: **December 8, 2005

**Author's Note: **Chapter 4. Ah yes. I didn't think this one was going to be that great. I mean, I thought Chapter 3 would ROCK and this would be sort of anti-climatic. Even though I still have 8 chapters to go. Hey, I'm one-third of the way through, aren't I (for those of you who follow the CD- there's no way I'm doing a chapter for the interlude)? Awesomeness. Anyway, I apologize again for delays.

PS: I took out a sentence in chapter 1 so Albel doesn't have his funky claw anymore (pretend you noticed ;). Hey, it's an alternate universe and the claw wasn't terribly sexy.

**Chapter 4:**

Albel ran frantically, harder than ever before. Fayt's limp body was slowing him down. _Dammit, I have to get him there safely._ He turned back for a moment and shot six times. He didn't have time to see if they fell. Only to run. His feet hit the ground over and over, muddy rainwater splashing underneath them. He looked down at the man he was holding. Fayt's blood covered his hands. _He's going to lose too much blood… Dammit, I don't know what to do with you Fayt._ Albel stared into the distance as he ran faster. He could see the restaurant, getting closer with each step. _Hang in there Fayt_

Albel reached the brick building, throwing open the brightly painted wooden door. _Well that should take care of them…for now at least. _"Hola amigos! We'll be with you…." The Mexican greeting them let his sentence trail off as the killer set Fayt down, his gun casually pointed at the man.

"Fuck off," Albel ordered, taking off his leather trench coat and draping it over his lover's limp shoulders. _This doesn't look good…shit. _

Fayt's blue hair was soaked with rainwater and blood, as was most of him. His shirt had ripped when he was shot, and was hanging loosely around his undamaged arm. Albel waved his gun at the man who had greeted him. "Hey, you! I'm going to assume you have bandages and if you don't I'm going to kill you. Now go fetch me some!" The man stared for a moment and Albel stretched his arm out, pointing the gun at him. "I said go!" The Mexican scurried away frantically and returned in a few moments with a long roll of bandages. Albel waved his gun to dismiss him and, putting the bandages in his mouth, pulled Fayt's arm in. He used his free hand to wrap the end around his lover's arm, and nodded in satisfaction when he was done.

With Fayt's injury taken care of, the killer scanned the room for a place to put his lover. The diners were screaming and crying, but no one moved to stop him. He raised the gun in the air and shot, yelling for silence. "Shut the fuck up! Now, none of you are to hurt this man. Got it, maggots?" There were murmurs of fear and agreement. "Good." Albel picked Fayt up again and set him in a secluded corner behind a wooden wall about five feet tall, out of sight from the rest of the restaurant. "Better than nothing," he muttered.

Fayt's eyes slowly fluttered open. Albel loaded his gun, watching intently. "Albel?" Fayt's voice was weak.

"I'm right here. Don't sit up. You were shot, remember?" The blue-haired man nodded. "Good. Now, Sophia's men are on the way."

"Are you going to fight them?" Fayt's voice cracked as he spoke.

"Of course." _If I don't it's the end of both of us._

"Don't…." He broke into a fit of coughing. "Don't get hurt, ok?"

"I do this for a living. I'll be fine," Albel reassured. _Of course, Sophia could very easily win with numbers. But I can't worry Fayt, he'll do something stupid_. Fortunately, Albel was a good liar. Fayt nodded and smiled slightly. "Besides," Albel added, "we just ran away from those guys. I don't know if you noticed, but their aim sucks." He ran a slender hand through his lover's hair, while his other hand roamed over Fayt's bare shoulder. "I promise you'll be fine." _Yet I can't say the same for myself. Please don't do anything stupid, Fayt._ Fayt looked away and nodded slightly, seeming unconvinced.

"There's so many of them, Albel….they're everywhere at the mansion."

"I know. But I can beat them all." Albel leaned in and softly kissed Fayt. He could feel the other man relax slightly. Satisfied that Fayt would be fine, Albel stood up. _Time to take that bitch down._

The door flew open, and Albel ran to it, shooting everything in his path. Diners screamed, but the sounds were drowned by the gunfire. Sophia's men were pouring in, shooting crazily. Civilians made their escape attempts, but most were killed by misfired shots. _Shit, I'm way outnumbered….the bitch must have a whole fucking lot of money. _Albel fired rapidly, shooting a young girl in his way. He aimed at Sophia's men, expertly taking them out one by one. Four of them entered in a circle around Sophia. "Albel, it's useless," she called out, smiling in a wickedly innocent way.

"Damn you, Sophia," Albel called out. "Fayt's mine." Scoffing, Sophia stepped aside, allowing more men to pour in through the door.

"We'll see if you're alive to claim him tomorrow."

_The bitch must be using every man she has! How the hell am I supposed to shoot all those? _Albel fired at one of the four, but only hit his leg. _Sloppy aim._ He turned his head to look at Fayt, still firing. The blue-haired man was still on the floor where Albel had left him. He was sitting up, curled into a little ball with Albel's long jacket wrapped tightly around himself. Emerald eyes were wide with fear as they stared up at his lover. The serial killer smiled reassuringly as he fired at another man, killing him. Fayt's eyes lit up, and, carefully avoiding the weapons tucked away inside it, he buried himself deeper in Albel's coat.

Facing the battle again, Albel shot another man down. Three more men charged from his left, and Albel took them down in three shots. The intense battle carried on for what felt like hours, but Albel lost track of time. It was like his worst nightmares come to life- constantly reloading, endless waves of men, and both him and Fayt's lives on the line. He was beginning to wonder if the fight would ever end. _Dammit, she can but more men even if I win. We need to get far away from here, and quickly, _Albel thought, shooting a man to his right.

Finally, the crowd was thinning. He took four shots at a group of men, scattering them. There weren't many left now. The last of the men dashed towards Fayt. "Shit!" He glared at Sophia, who was still surrounded by her four bodyguards, before firing upon the tiny squad attempting to capture his lover.

_Too many of them, dammit! Fuck this, I've gotta get Fayt! _Albel ran towards Fayt and leapt on him, shielding the other man from any missed bullets. "Albel!" Fayt cried out. Coolly, Albel pushed himself and Fayt flat on the cold brown floor tiles, a bullet whizzing over them. _That was close. _Albel reached back and easily shot three men, leaving seven more alive and aiming for him. Three of the four men around Sophia rushed to join their remaining comrades. Underneath Albel, Fayt was cringing at every shot, clinging to Albel. He stroked Fayt's hair lightly, attempting to calm him down while avoiding bullets flying at them.

"Albel…" Fayt whispered weakly.

"They want me, you'll be fine."

"What if they…..get you?"

"They won't," Albel reassured, sounding convincing. In reality, he had no idea how he was going to save himself _and_ Fayt. _The important thing is that he's ok._ _But dammit, this is too hard with him hanging off of me. _"Let go," Albel whispered softly to Fayt, who looked uncertain. "You'll be fine." Fayt nodded and slowly released his grip on Albel, freeing him.

Not wasting a second, Albel rolled off Fayt, dodging a bullet and leapt up. Swiftly, he grabbed a small wooden chair next to him and almost effortlessly threw it at one of his attackers. It flew at a man who's eye widened in fear. The chair hit his head, shattering into splinters and piercing the eye of the man, who fell down screaming in agony. Two more servants stared in horror, and Albel took advantage of the opportunity to shoot them. Another reacted quickly, firing a bullet, which missed and flew towards Fayt. _Shit!_ Albel snatched another chair and threw it above his lover, allowing the chair to take the bullet and fly over Fayt's head. Albel pointed his gun and shot rapidly, killing six men instantly. The last man grabbed a leg from the broken chair and threw it swiftly at Albel's wounded hip, causing the him to yell loudly as he shot the man.

For a moment there were no gunshots, there was no screaming, and no one spoke. All the customers had run off long ago. Albel kneeled slowly next to Fayt, his hip screaming in pain as he did so. _Focus on Fayt. Focus on Fayt._ He lifted his lover into a sitting position carefully, looking to see if he was hurt. "You ok?" Albel asked, trying to ignore his own pain. Fayt nodded and wordlessly pointed at a piece of wood lodged in Albel's leg, sticking out of him awkwardly. "I'm fine." Albel lied, not wanting Fayt's faith in him to be shaken.

_Dammit, I need to get him out of here…I can't do that hurt._ Albel tugged on the piece of chair in his hip, pulling it out. He ground his teeth in pain as blood poured from the wound. _Oh shit, this is bad. _Fayt's eyes grew wide as he watched, horrified. "Fayt," Albel managed to breathe out.

"Yeah?" Fayt's worried voice responded uncertainly.

"Hand me that tablecloth." Albel fought to sound calm and casual. Fayt stood up and pulled a bright yellow tablecloth from a nearby table, handing it to Albel who pressed it to his hip, trying desperately to stop the blood. He had some success, though the small cloth was stained red in no time.

"Dammit!" Sophia and the remaining man were approaching. Albel easily picked up Fayt and attempted to run into a large bathroom, which appeared to be the only relatively safe place, but ended up limping as fast as he could.

Once inside, he shut the door, locking it firmly, and set Fayt down on a wall opposite a line of bright red stall doors. Albel sat down next to his lover, sighing. _Finally, no more fucking people in the way…_ Albel's wound had mostly stopped bleeding, but Fayt still looked concerned. "Is this what it was always like, Albel?" he asked, sounding oddly innocent and childlike. _He's changed a bit…after everything he went through when he was younger he seemed weaker, but especially now. He needs me more than ever now._

"Sometimes." _Like this, but easier. I only had to look after myself._ Fayt sat up and turned to Albel, leaning towards him hesitantly. Smirking, Albel closed the gap between them, placing his lips on Fayt's softly. _It was all worth it to be back here kissing him._ Fayt scooted in closer to Albel, lips still connected, and sat himself comfortably on his lover's lap, legs on either side of Albel. They stopped to breathe, Fayt looking less worried now. "You've been stuck with Sophia all these years?" Albel asked, taking advantage of the opportunity to find out what his lover's life had been like for the past few years. Fayt nodded and looked down.

"Yeah,"

"Damn her," Albel whispered malevolently, wrapping his arms tightly around Fayt. "Did you fight back?" Albel asked, now sounding uncharacteristically gentle.

Fayt shook his head and whispered, "I missed you."

_That bitch is going to pay for doing this to MY Fayt!_ "It's ok."

"How did you find me?"

"Well, I had no idea who the men were that stole you. After you left the room that day I asked him who he worked for. He shot at me and missed, which you probably heard. Then we got into a fist fight, and I killed him before I could find anything out. So I asked around, threatened the right people, and after a few months I found out they were Sophia's men. I planned my attack carefully, but her security is tight. It took awhile, but she finally let down her security just enough for me to slip in on her wedding day and grab you."

"So you spent the whole time looking for me?"

"What else was I supposed to do? The crime rate in this city is extremely low, I had no one to kill for so long…" Albel trailed off. _And of course with no one to kill I made no money, got no food and nearly starved._ Fayt raised an eyebrow.

"How did you survive?"

_Dammit, he was supposed to think it was easy._ "I stole."

Fayt nodded and ran his hand through Albel's long, black hair absently. There was a slight pause before Albel asked what he had been dreading. "Did you sleep with her?" He hoped Sophia wouldn't go so far, but she could be unpredictable in the worst ways.

Fayt didn't answer for a moment. He looked down uncertainly before suddenly burying his face in Albel's shirt. He clung to the taller man, sobbing. "I hated it, Albel. She wanted to make me straight, and I told her she couldn't, so she tried and I hated it!"

Albel narrowed his eyes, burning with anger. His blood felt hot, moving quickly as he filled with rage. _MY Fayt! How the hell could that fucking bitch do this to him! NO ONE but me touches him like that! NO ONE!_ _Oh, she's going to pay. I'll chop her into a million pieces, or burn her alive. Sick, sick bitch will never touch my Fayt again! _He squeezed Fayt possessively, determined to make the blue-haired man his again. "I won't let her lay another finger on you," Albel declared firmly, voice filled with anger.

"It was awful, Albel….I hated it, I hate her."

"I know. Everything's going to be ok, I promise."

Fayt pulled away, eyes staring adoringly up at Albel. "Will you kill her?"

Albel nodded. "After what she did to you, she has to die. No one else is allowed to touch you, let alone sleep with you. That disgusting bitch will die." Fayt nodded slightly, smiling. "You're still as cute as before," Albel remarked, hands resting on his lover's cheeks gently. His right hand trailed slowly down Fayt's neck, fingers playing with his hair. Their lips met again, Albel attacking with more force this time, his tongue running over every inch of Fayt's mouth. _I'm going to wash the stupid bitch out of him._ Albel pulled Fayt in closer, his hands running down to the other man's hips. _All mine._

Fayt pulled back slightly, panting in a way Albel loved. "I'm so glad to have you back…" he breathed out. Albel smirked and clamped his lips over Fayt's forcefully, tongue prying his lips open again. Fayt pressed against him, their hips grinding together as Albel pulled Fayt in as close as he could.

The door flung open suddenly, interrupting the heated kiss. A loud gunshot echoed throughout the room. Fayt tensed up, and Albel hugged him reassuringly. "Sophia." Albel's voice was low. "How entirely pleased I am to see you." Albel's hand ran up Fayt's back, pulling a gun from the coat his lover wore.

"Always a pleasure," Sophia responded calmly with a slight smile. "Now get your dirty, murdering hands off my husband."

Albel glared at her, eyes blazing with hatred. "You bitch! YOUR HUSBAND! He's MINE!" Albel pulled his gun out and shot at Sophia swiftly. Her last servant reacted quickly, pushing her out of the way.

"That, you murderer, would be sick and wrong. Not only am I going to marry him, you're a GUY!" Sophia screeched as her bodyguard fired shot after shot at Albel and missed.

_His aim is shitty, he's gonna hit Fayt. _Albel's eyes darted around the room, searching for something to hide Fayt behind. Finding nothing, he wrapped his hands around his lover's stomach and pushed him away, sending him flying into a far away corner. _Safe enough for now._

Trusting that Fayt could stay out of the way, Albel leapt up, shooting and dodging in a deadly dance with the man, bullets flying through the air. One whizzed by Fayt, cracking a hole in the wall next to him. _Shit!_ Albel shot more quickly, but the servant was good. He dodged with ease as Albel shot way off target, his injured hip barely allowing him to stand. Albel was being backed up, much to Sophia's delight. He heard a faint whimpering sound and turned to Fayt.

Sophia was walking towards the blue-haired man, smiling wickedly. "Don't worry Fayt! I won't let her!" Albel called out.

"Since when could you stop me from being with my husband, hmm?" Sophia called back casually, leaning down to run her index finger gently down Fayt's cheek. Albel glared intensely at her, but Sophia ignored him. _No one touches my Fayt! I have to get him out of here!_

"You bitch," he muttered. "Fayt!" The other man looked up at him, eyes fearful. "Don't worry about her, ok? I'll take care of everything." _Shit, I sound cheesy. _To Albel's surprise, Fayt looked comforted and nodded, smiling awkwardly. Sophia looked more annoyed, turning Fayt's head to face her. She leaned in and forced her lips on his. _Oh, that bitch will die._

Fayt struggled against Sophia, squirming against the wall. He reached out and pushed her away slightly, breathing heavily. "No. You can't make me do anything while Albel's here." Albel smirked triumphantly, dodging a bullet as he did so.

"Oh, Albel won't have a say in anything that goes on in here," Sophia remarked slyly, glancing at Albel as though she knew something he didn't.

Albel opened his mouth to inform her that when it came to Fayt, he _would_ have a say, but he felt his back slam into the wall and the cold metal of a knife press against his throat.

**Author's Note:** It's so short…please don't kill meeee! Please? Um, I dunno what happened to it's long wounderfulness. Is it just me, or does this fanfiction severely lack in girls? Now, I shall state here and now that I definitely don't have anything against girls, yes? Yes, girls goodness. This however, is yaoi not yuri (Nobody on would read yuri- not enough guys) and so there is an obviously lack of girls. I feel it my duty to apologize? Um, maybe soon I'll edit this and make it longer. But, I have an announcement that I needed to make:

I'm getting you all a wonderful, delicious Christmas present. I have written a Christmas Fanfiction. Yes. A mighty Christmas fanfiction with lots of Albel and Fayt making out. Lemon may be included. Except that I have never published a lemon. If any of you are lemon writers and don't mind your lemon being torn into pieces, edited and put back together, feel free to send them in. Otherwise, I'm writing something. (Mwahahaha?) Anyway, look out for that. It relates to this fic. It's before Albel was a serial killer or anything. But it's not like a high school fic. Well, they're in high school, but you don't really see them at school. Because do you really think Albel would go to school? I don't. So read it. Because I'm in love with it.


	5. Albel's Plan

**Disclaimer:** Star Ocean is an awesome game. The box is purple. I have a copy of the box. The shiny director's cut one. Now, this may lead you to believe I own the rights to it. Unfortunately, I don't.

**Date Posted:** December 31, 2005

**Author's Note:** I feel that this chapter is somewhat short. Going into it, I knew that. It has only one plot purpose. But it's not too badly written. Also, please remain calm when you read it. No heart attacks.

The bathroom fell silent as the tall green-haired bodyguard pressed the knife close to Albel's throat. He looked satisfied with himself and stepped forward, running a tanned finger over the killer's pale collarbone. Fayt watched, horrified, as the scene unfolded before him. _This isn't happening, not to Albel!_ To him, Albel was invincible. The tall, dark and handsome man who always showed up to rescue Fayt. Now, with a knife pressed firmly against his pale throat, Albel still looked at his lover confidently. His eyes contained no fear, only a reassurance that he would make everything better. Fayt smiled slightly and nodded. _I won't let you down. I'll be strong for you, Albel. For you, and for Doem. He died and left me to get revenge._

Fayt stood up, determined. "No." The word was strong, breaking the silence and sending the message he wouldn't back down. "You aren't taking us anywhere, Sophia. I won't do what you say, I don't have to anymore!"

Sophia stepped closer to Fayt, the scent of perfume lingering on her. The tension in the room increased. She spoke softly, in an almost seductive tone, "You know, Fayt," Sophia reached out and wrapped her arms firmly around Fayt's waist. "If you come with me, I can fix all this.' She leaned in further, her face close to Fayt's. "We can still get married."

By this point, Fayt could feel Albel's anger, radiating from him like a blinding light. He glanced at the dark-haired man, whose blood colored eyes were fixed on Sophia, as though glaring her to death. Sophia pretended not to notice, smiling sweetly at Fayt. He glared back at her, wishing Albel wasn't pinned to the wall. "And then we'll all be okay and live happily ever after, I suppose?"

Sophia smiled. "Of course. It'll be lovely, really. You can have a normal life."

Fayt looked to Albel for reassurance, and found him glaring intensely at Sophia. "It's not okay like that." Fayt was now talking to Sophia while gazing at Albel. "I love Albel. Not you."

Sophia frowned uncertainly. "He's hardly human. He's a mindless killer, and you're just his pet."

"Killing doesn't make you any less human. Only a different sort of person. And I am not his _pet_. Maybe I belong to him, but not as a pet." Fayt looked to Albel, who nodded.

"You don't have to belong to me. Freedom is a beautiful thing, Fayt. I can give you the power to be free. Once Albel's dead you don't have any obligation to him. What do you have to lose?" Sophia stared into Fayt's eyes, her tone serious and non-threatening.

Fayt knew exactly what to say. "Love. I love Albel. You can't seem to comprehend normal love, only your sick, twisted public version."

Annoyed, Sophia looked to her bodyguard. "Go for it," she commanded softly.

"ALBEL!" Tears gathered in Fayt's eyes, blurring his vision as he yelled.

"It's okay, Fayt," Albel reassured, still seeming perfectly calm. "Don't worry. I can take care of myself. Save yourself."

Swallowing hard, the blue-haired man nodded. _Albel's going to make everything better. They can't kill Albel, he's too strong._ He watched in shock as, instead of stabbing him, the bodyguard pressed his legs into Albel and kissed him. _But…Albel…_ "No!" Fayt yelled, watching as Albel struggled slightly, but was unable to free himself. He reached a thin, pale arm out to Fayt, who took his hand firmly.

Sophia kicked Fayt and shouted sharply, "You're MY HUSBAND! You will not try to comfort him, or hold his hand. You should be happy to be _my_ husband!"

Fayt opened his mouth to shout back, but apparently Albel had freed his lips, because he was breathing heavily and saying, "No, you bitch. Fayt is mine. He belongs to ME!" Albel snarled at Sophia and tried to lunge forward, but the bodyguard held him down.

Sophia laughed lightly, earning herself a more intense glare from Albel. "Possessive, aren't we?" She looked to Fayt, placing one hand on his cheek. "Don't you want some freedom, dear? Don't you hate belonging to him, like an object? Wouldn't you rather be an equal, not a possession?"

Fayt spat on the ground. "He's right. I do belong to Albel. I'm his, and no one else's. Now get your dirty hands off me and let me go back to him!"

Sophia pointed at Albel, who was smirking proudly, disgust painted on her face. "That MURDERER does not OWN MY HUSBAND! He's worthless leftovers for my servant, that's all! He hasn't done anyone any good and he doesn't OWN ANYONE!"

Albel laughed dryly spoke up for himself, "Murderer, leftovers, call me what you want, but he's mine, worm, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Sophia met his red eyes. "Let's ask Fayt about this. Hm, Fayt dear? Be honest now, who do you want to be with?"

Fayt started down at her. "Honestly? Albel. I'd do anything to be with him."

"I don't think you understand, sweetie. If you're with me, you can be straight and normal. You'll fit in with the rest of the world." Sophia smiled.

"I _had_ normal! Ever since me and Albel ran away together, my life felt normal! Everything made sense, we had a sort of pattern to living! After you stole me, there was nothing normal! Everything was for publicity, everything was painful and stupid and every day I wanted to be back to Albel! That's far from normal."

Sophia frowned. "You don't know what normal is any more. I'll help you remember normal. We can get you therapy, and you'll understand the world's definition of normal."

Fayt glared at her. "The only person I care about is Albel. The rest of the world means nothing to me. You're just pathetic scum, your whole life is a publicity stunt! I'm sick of it, I'm sick of you! No, being a serial killer's lover isn't as glamorous as your life, but it's worth every minute of worrying and running and hiding to be with him instead of kept inside your mansion!"

"Maggot, isn't that enough for you? He's mine. He never was yours, not even when you stole him."

_Albel's coming to my rescue!_ Fayt's eyes sparkled in adoration, looking up at Albel. _He's so brave._

"I told you not to worry," Albel whispered.

Sophia slapped Fayt across the face. Flinching, he gripped Albel's hand tighter. The other man held his hand tightly, offering some comfort. "What the hell was that for? You fucking bitch, leave Fayt alone!"

Sophia ignored Albel, speaking in a frustrated tone to Fayt. "Now, I realize you think it's not right, but Fayt, dear, you DO need to be with me. For your own good. You know I only want the best for you. Please come home. You'll be okay."

Fayt snapped at this. "I'M NOT OKAY! I hate you! You stole me away from Albel, the only man I ever loved, made me think he was dead, made me your boyfriend for three years, you fucking made me sleep with you so I would turn straight! I. Hate. You!"

Albel softly ran his hand through Fayt's hair, comforting him. "I'll take care of everything," he whispered. Fayt stared at a shocked Sophia. She was slowly regaining her composure, signaling for the servant to take care of Albel's free arm. The man gladly tossed his knife to his left hand and drew in Albel's arm, pinning it to the wall. Sophia turned to Fayt. "You."

_That tone…Albel, save me! Help me, she's going to…_

"You are a good little straight boy." The brunette stepped forward and pushed Fayt to the floor. He tried not to look afraid, he knew Albel wouldn't let her do anything, but he shook violently with fright. Sophia knelt in front of Fayt, her hands pressing his shoulders into the floor.

_No!_ Fayt tried to break free, but he was panicking and unable to. Sophia's lips slammed into his, and he found himself fighting off her tongue. She pulled him closer, grabbing the back of his head. Even from his position on the floor, Fayt could sense Albel's anger as Sophia's hands moved down him. He hated that Albel had to be there, to see him like this. Closing his eyes, Fayt tried to ignore Sophia's hands, only to be pulled closer to her.

Sophia didn't have time to get any further. Albel couldn't sit by and watch any more. He threw the servant off of him and leapt at Sophia. "You bitch! That's my Fayt!"

Fayt suddenly found himself underneath Albel instead, locking lips with him. He only distantly heard Sophia screeching, absorbed in his own world with Albel. _He did it! Albel!_ The taller man immediately ruffled Fayt's blue hair the way he liked it, erasing Sophia's mark.

"Is this what she did to you?" he whispered angrily.

Fayt felt himself blush, filling with shame, and nodded. "All the time. Worse than this, too…." His voice shook as he spoke, avoiding his lover's eyes. Albel exhaled slowly, his anger obvious. Fayt felt the other man's warm breath brush against his ear, feeling safe and familiar. Albel's arms wrapped around Fayt and their lips met again, Albel's tongue massaging Fayt's gently, comforting him. Breaking the kiss, Albel stood up, looking as though he'd decided on a course of action. Sophia's bodyguard pushed Albel back into the wall, this time not pressing against him, but he still stood ready with a knife.

Fayt sat up, watching Albel carefully. _All I can do is follow his lead. Albel knows how to work people. This should be no problem for him._

"I'll make a deal with you," Albel informed Sophia, sounding overly calm and eyeing Fayt.

Sophia was standing again, looking only slightly shaken by Albel's attack. She raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow, as though mildly interested. "Continue.

"You can kill me and get all the glory, money and publicity." Albel's tone remained calm.

_NO! I WON'T LET YOU DO THAT ALBEL, DON'T BE STUPID! YOU CAN'T DIE!_

"So what do you get out of this?" Sophia asked, now looking more interested.

"I want you to let Fayt go. Tell the public I kidnapped then killed him. Play it off as a real tragedy." Albel paused, then added, "I'll want to make sure you put him somewhere safe."

"So I wouldn't have a husband?"

"No. But if everyone thinks he's dead, I'm sure you'll get more publicity than a wedding would bring. Not to mention my little appearance will get you plenty of publicity either way. This could work to your advantage."

Sophia turned away, deep in thought. From what Fayt could tell, she was figuring out every way Albel could cheat.

_Albel! You can't die, you idiot! I can't live without you! If you die, you might as well take me down with you! I won't let him do this. _Fayt shook his head. "You can't do that, Albel."

The taller man glared down at his lover. "I can, and I will. I promise you'll be ok, and that's all that really matters. Don't try to stop me- your life is more important."

"Albel! Don't talk like that, you matter too! Maybe more to me than to anyone else, but your life means something, you can't throw it away for some stupid plan to save me! My life wasn't in danger in the first place!"

Albel's gaze grew more intense. He lifted Fayt up off the floor, pulling him up by the collar of the coat he wore. Their faces were close, almost touching. When Albel spoke his lips nearly brushed Fayt's. "No, your life isn't in danger. But don't you get it? She _stole_ you from me, _imprisoned_ you in her mansion for three years, during which she _raped _you, and I'm guessing more than once. Do you really want to go back to her?"

Fayt looked away from his lover's eyes. "No," he said in a small voice.

"Then dammit, let me help you out."

Fayt stared up into Albel's eyes. "I don't want to go back to her. But I can, and this isn't worth your _life_!"

Albel shook his head slightly. "You're so damn stubborn. This is the only way I can be sure you'll be safe. That man over there can throw a knife quicker than I can draw, aim and shoot a gun- anyone could figure that out. So how the hell else am I supposed to save you? "

"Don't save me then! Leave me here, try again later if you have to. I can hold out for another year, maybe two." Fayt knew he was lying, that he couldn't take much more of Sophia, maybe a few more weeks, but he wasn't about to let Albel die because he couldn't handle one woman, no matter how vicious she was.

Unfortunately for Fayt, Albel knew him better than anyone else, and was an expert at reading people. "You're lying, Fayt. I know it. You _can't_ take any more of that bitch. I won't leave you here like that! You're in danger. What the hell kind of man leaves his lover to be held prisoner and raped?" Albel spoke in an urgent whisper.

"It's the only choice! Who am I to let _you_ to die just so I can leave this place. It's not worth it!" Fayt looked at Albel pleadingly. _Please don't do this Albel, you're being stupid._

Sophia turned around. "I accept your offer."

_No! You idiots, don't you know what you're doing!_

Albel let go of Fayt. "Good. Now, don't think you can take him once I'm dead. Fayt's armed." Albel flashed a menacing smirk. "I think we both know he won't fire unless he has to."

"You're smarter than I thought, Nox. Where do you want him tossed?"

Fayt injected, "You are not tossing me anywhere and you're not killing Albel! I won't let you!" Fayt looked up at Albel, determined not to let him throw his life away.

To Fayt's surprise, when Albel answered him, his voice was soft, almost begging- the only sign of weakness he ever showed. "Fayt, please, just let us do this. You'll be free of this bitch here."

_I can't let them make this trade, Albel doesn't know what he's doing! _"I told you, I'll gladly stay with Sophia- it's not worth your life!"

"Please, Fayt. I don't want to knock you out and drag you along, but it's for your own good…" Albel voice sounded pained at the thought of hurting Fayt, but the blue-haired man still wasn't convinced. Albel sighed. "Look, my life doesn't mean a whole lot by now. I've taken plenty of lives, why not hand over mine to help you?"

"Your life means everything to _me_!"

Albel's face a jumble of emotions- anger, frustration, regret, sadness. With one sudden motion, he yanked Fayt closer to him, kissing him passionately. Fayt took a moment to realize what was happening, before kissing back, allowing Albel's tongue into his mouth. The older man pulled back, breathing heavily. "I don't want to leave you alone. But let me do it."

Sophia smiled and agreed, "Yes, let him do it. Now, where did you want us to toss him?"

"Take him down to the beach about a hundred miles south of here. There's a little fishing village down there. Impossible to miss, it's the only thing on the shore for miles. Tell the people it was my dying wish that they take care of him, and that they aren't to let him get hurt."

Dying wish…Albel can't die. I won't let him. The black-haired man gazed at Fayt. "Make sure she goes through with it." 

"I don't want her to!" Fayt protested.

Albel sighed. "I know. Remember, I love you."

Fayt threw his arms around Albel, hugging him tightly. "I love you, too." He stepped back, and the bodyguard closed in on Albel. Albel didn't take his eyes off Fayt as the man pulled back the knife, ready to stab.

_No, no this isn't supposed to happen! Albel's supposed to have a better plan, one that will save us both!_ He saw the knife shine as the man sped it towards Albel.

Fayt couldn't watch. He turned around and ran, too fast for anyone to notice right away. He flung himself at the broken door, knocking it over. He ran through the restaurant, over the carpet of dead bodies, nearly slipping on the puddles of blood. He could barely see where he was going, tears running down his cheeks in rivers. Finally, Fayt flung himself at the restaurant door and stumbled out into the night.

Rain poured down on him, hiding the tears. A small streams of blood flowed off his shoes, blood from the dead lying on the ground. He didn't stop running for even a second, not knowing where he was going, only that it was away.

"Albel's dead…"

**Author's Note: **Yeah. That's right, bitchesss. From here there's a lot of surprises in store for you guys. And if you're about to be like "WTF DID YOU DO THAT FOR?" look at the genre. Heh? Romance/Tragedy. Um, now I'm rambling. But everything's going to be ok, really!

The new year starts tomorrow. Thank Coke 2005 is over! Woohoo! I wish you all a joyous New Year. Hot damn, I'm going to spend my New Year alone. SUCH IS THE LIFE OF A LOWLY AUTHOR!

Heh. I haven't had my caffeine today. And I'm listening to Mulan music. You're not suited foooor the raaaage of waaaaaar!


	6. Regrets

**Disclaimer: **Star Ocean doesn't belong to me. I couldn't even think of a witty disclaimer to tell you that today.

**Date Posted: **January 8, 2006 (The first chapter of the new year!)

**Author's Note: **Ah, yes. The tragedy continues. What shall poor Fayt do after Albel's tragic little incident? You probably don't want to hear me ramble about it, so read on.

**Chapter 6: **Regrets

Running, running, running. Fayt ran harder and faster then ever before, determined to get away from that horrible place. _Albel's dead. Sophia's man stabbed him._ He saw the scene replayed in his mind, running faster as he did. He had to get away. _They'll come after me next. Sophia will take me back, because I'm not brave enough to shoot her._

The pain of losing Albel was greater then he had ever imagined any pain to be. There was a gaping hole inside of him, ripping open wider and wider, consuming his whole being with an endless pain. It was like falling down a hole with no end, just falling and falling, with nothing to save him. Albel had always been the one to save Fayt, and nothing could save him from the pain of Albel's death.

"Albel!" Fayt screamed into the storm, tears blending with the heavy rain on his face. He finally stopped to breathe, hanging his head and panting. He watched the fat drops of rain slide down his blue hair and splatter on the muddy ground. _Where am I going? What am I gonna do with me life? I'm all alone…_ Lifting his head, Fayt examined his surroundings. The city lay behind him, he had outrun the endless buildings. _This damn city….I'm finally out of it._

He looked ahead, wondering where he would end up. _Wait…this city is on a cliff. If I keep running, just a little further…Can I end this?_ Fayt squinted past the rain, into the distance and sure enough, he could faintly see a cliff. He smiled and straightened himself, heading off towards the ledge.

Of course, Albel's coat was filled with weapons, and perhaps even a few poisons, which would have killed Fayt just as effectively. But he didn't want to end his own life with the things that had run his dead lover's. _He was always off killing people. Always got back late. Not that it was his fault. He kept me safe, always, so safe. Hell, I was always back in the hotel sleeping while he was out killing, in danger, being shot at all the time._

At first it had been hard on Fayt, though. He remembered spending the long nights alone until Albel returned, worrying and wondering and pacing the room. Every night when Albel would leave, Fayt would try to act calm, watching the seconds tick by slowly, trying not to think of all the horrible things that could happen to Albel. And when Albel would come back, unhurt and covered in someone else's blood, Fayt would run to him and hug him tightly, silently wishing he would never go out again.

It was the times Albel _was_ hurt that Fayt hated most. He would enter the room, covered in both his blood and the blood of another, and Fayt would run to him, asking if he was ok. Albel never acted hurt, he merely treated his own wounds, assuring Fayt he was fine. Those times especially, Fayt would wish Albel didn't have to do what he did. But if he stopped, if he tried to live a normal life, he would only he thrown in prison for a lifetime, or given the death penalty. And that would hurt more than seeing Albel in pain, or knowing Albel could be hurt.

_Still, Albel always managed to keep both of us safe. Nobody will ever give him credit for it, but he did save at least one life, despite all the lives he took. And now he's dead, and it's my turn to die, too._

A cold breeze blew rain into Fayt's face as he marched on, remembering Albel._ We never had enough time together, not even when we were younger. We could have had so much more…All the things we never did. He would have killed more people, but it would have been worth it to me. Maybe after living with Albel so long, human lives mean less to me. I guess it's a good thing. Then again, if lives really meant nothing to me, I wouldn't be crying over Albel's death._

Fayt's thoughts were disrupted by a loud clap of thunder. He turned his face upward towards the sky. "Still storming…" He decided it added to the drama of the moment and walked on, ignoring it. Lightening occasionally lit up the entire area, showing him how close he was to the cliff.

_I wonder what Albel would think of this...my jumping off a cliff. _Fayt felt guilty for a moment. _He wouldn't like it. Albel always wanted what was best for me. So selfless. No one else will ever give him credit for that either. Everyone only sees the evil serial killer. If they could all know Albel like I did, they would understand why he did the things he did. Is it really his fault he wanted to keep me safe? I think few people would have the courage to do all that he did for one person in his situation._ _And how great it was to be that one person…_

_Did I teach Albel to love? I don't ever remember him talking about loving anyone else. Lusting after, sure, but loving? Never. _Fayt smiled, a very small, pained smile. It might seem uncharacteristic of Albel, but love came easily enough to him. He was different than most were in love- he was more possessive. Fayt was his, and anyone else who touched him regretted it. _I'm still yours, Albel. I belong to you, completely. Whether you're alive or not doesn't matter, you learned to love, and I'm sure you still know how. You had some good in you, buried deep underneath the killing and the violence and the hatred, hidden so no one else would ever find it._

Fayt kicked a rock, pondering Albel's life further. _You know, it really wasn't his fault he did all the things he did. Nobody ever taught Albel how to do anything in a non-violent way. We only do what we are taught, what is instilled in our minds when we're children. He fought to get everything he had, and fought to keep it. I think that's fair, more fair then the rest of the world, even. Someone like Sophia wouldn't last a day in Albel's life. Albel's life…that's over now, isn't it? He never realized how well he lived. I don't know if he knew, before he died, how much I needed him. And how much I still need him._

"But all that is over now, isn't it?" Fayt remarked to himself. "I can want him, need him, all I want and he's not coming back. Albel…I can't live without you…"

He stopped walking, closing his eyes. He could picture Albel's face, a million different memories of Albel- shooting down Sophia's men the day Fayt was captured, kissing away everything bad, comforting Fayt every night, protecting him from the rest of the world… All of them held the same feeling he longed for now- safety. The safety that only comes from being in the arms of someone who's not afraid to take as many lives as he needs to. Everything was ok with Albel around. Albel was his own anti-hero, Albel wouldn't let him down. _And he never did let me down. His death was only so I would be ok. He just wanted what was best for me… that was his weakness. **I** was Albel's deadly weakness._

"Does that mean this is all my fault? I only weakened Albel and I knew it, but I stuck with him, right until the very end. I wonder…could I have left him?" _If I did, would he be ok? Maybe as he was my weakness and strength, and I was his. Without him, I can't survive, yet with him I only gave him a weakness- love._

"It's all so complicated," Fayt whispered to himself, "But I know I loved him. What really matters is he's dead, and I'm going to follow him to the grave. So very complicated. Maybe without Sophia, this wouldn't have happened. She didn't know how much she toyed with out very lives, creating a love this sick love triangle, this lethal triangle…" He sighed, blinking away more tears. "She doesn't care how many people she kills. As long as she doesn't do it directly, it's not murder. I wonder what her precious public would think if they knew."

"The public," a new voice said, "will never know about any of this."

Fayt spun around to face the speaker. He found a tall man, obviously Japanese, wearing one of Sophia's red suits. "No, it seems they won't."

The man stepped closer. "Do you know _why_ they won't?"

Fayt summoned up the courage to smile at the man. "Because I'm going to meet Albel now, and neither of us will be able to speak of this."

The Japanese man spat on the ground and laughed. "Albel is _dead_. Didn't you see, he was stabbed? You can't go meet him, unless you intend on joining him in hell."

"That would be more than I could hope for. I would be glad to spend an eternity in your made-up hell just to be with him instead of what I'm going to get. I'll _never_ see him again."

The man frowned. "You plan on dying, then?"

"Yeah. There's a cliff over there." _Just leave me alone so I can get on with my plan. I don't need Sophia's men screwing this up._

The servant raised an eyebrow and laughed lightly. "How romantic. Albel is murdered and his lover leaps to his death. A real tragedy."

Fayt glared at him. "Tell it to the your precious press. I know what I'm doing."

"What you are doing is going to upset Miss Esteed greatly."

"And what she did upset me greatly," Fayt mocked.

The servant's cool expression turned to anger. "Do you think I serve her for money, or publicity! I love Sophia. I know you don't understand it, but I can't stand to see her unhappy." His black hair whipped in the wind, flying over his eyes. "You're my rival Fayt, but if I let you die she won't be happy."

"I'm no one's rival. Th only thing I am is Albel's lover, I belonged to him and him alone."

"Don't be so stubborn," the man snapped. "Albel is _dead_. And you are in my way. I want Sophia, but I want her to be happy, to choose me when she could have you."

Fayt shot the man a cold glare. "I'll never give her the option of having me. I'm not straight, and never will be. I loved Albel, and I'm not going to fall for the bitch that had him killed."

"I can find you a man to cheat with. Just don't let her know. Keep her _happy_, because dammit this world could use a little more happiness."

_He's trying to do the right thing, I know he is. I just don't belong in a world without Albel._ "I know you want her to be happy, but I don't want just any man. It's Albel I love. And it's Albel I'm going to, not Sophia."

"You fool. If you just give Miss Esteed a chance, I'm sure you could love her. Wouldn't you rather be alive and in love then dead?"

"I'm not the foolish one here!" Fayt yelled. "I will never love the woman who so easily ordered Albel's death! Do you think she really cares about me? She had the only thing I loved in this world killed, and you expect me to run crying to her? I won't. Sophia never loved anyone, only the publicity she could gain from falling in love."

"That doesn't mean you can't _try_, give the world a second chance, give Sophia a second chance!" The man looked desperate now, pleading with Fayt.

Fayt answered in a surprisingly calm manner. "No. I can't do that. You wouldn't understand, being from a normal family, living a normal life. All I ever did was love Albel, and the world hated me for it. Why is that? I can't love without being hated. No, this world isn't where I belong. The only place I need to be is wherever Albel is, and if he's dead, so be it."

Fayt ran away from the man, running toward the cliff. So many memories of the past, so many opportunities that would never come now, not without Albel. He heard the footsteps of the other man, chasing him, hunting him down to force him to be with Sophia again. Fayt wouldn't give in to her, he would die and never see Sophia again.

The Japanese man tackled Fayt, pinning him to the ground. Fayt kicked wildly, but the man ignored it. "I'm taking you back, like it or not!" he shouted above the increasing storm.

Fayt attacked, biting, kicking, punching, anything to get away from the man who was preventing him from dying. He bit the man's arm, holding him with his teeth. The man rolled over, trying to free himself from Fayt's grasp. As he did so, he freed Fayt, who immediately let go and ran.

The cliff wasn't far now, and Fayt ran as fast as he could, his lungs raw from the cold air as he panted heavily. The man caught up with him again, though they were both bleeding and weaker now. He punched Fayt, knocking him back a little.

"Come on Fayt, I'll give you anything you want. Don't do this to Sophia, please, don't!"

_It's sad that once Albel's gone, the only reason anyone wouldn't want me dead is so Sophia can be happy. _"What I want is Albel, and you can't give me that! He's dead. If Albel's dead, the only thing I can want is death itself."

"No, there has to be something. Every human has a weakness, something they would do anything for."

"And mine is Albel." _But Albel's not really a weakness. He kept me from being weak._

"Money? Sex? There has to be something. Maybe you want a proper burial for your lover?"

"Albel's _dead_, it doesn't matter what you to do the body, he's not coming back!"

"I can try to get Sophia to free you, then you can do whatever you want, just go back to her now!"

"There's nothing you can do!" Fayt yelled. "Albel is gone and I want to die with him, I want to die, that's all! Let me go!" Fayt tried to run around the man, but was blocked. _Why does he care? If I'm dead he has a better chance with Sophia. Just move, I NEED TO JOIN ALBEL! _He ran into the man, knocking him over so his head hit a rock. Satisfied, Fayt ran to the cliff edge.

He stopped there, staring down into the canyon below the cliff. It was far to the bottom, though he wasn't sure if the impact alone would kill him. _If I land properly, on my head, I should die._ Then again, if the fall didn't kill him, maybe whatever broke it would. The bottom of the canyon was littered with junk- rocks, spare wood, tree branches. If Fayt was lucky, he would land on something sharp and die.

_I wonder who will find my body. Will they come looking for me, only to find my remains at the bottom of the cliff? Or maybe years from now, when Sophia's gone too, my bones will be found, and this whole scandal will be uncovered, bringing down Sophia's legacy._

Fayt turned his head up to the sky, staring at the rain clouds. _If I don't jump, what will become of my life? Will I spend every night thinking about him, crying myself to sleep, dreaming about him, only to find him not there each morning? How much longer can I live without him?_

He looked back to the cliff, knowing now what he had to do. _Albel…we never got to be everything we wanted. Your life was cut short. Too short, even by serial killer standards. _Albel's life, Fayt knew, would not be greatly missed, except by him. He had killed people, lots of them. More people then some of the disasters the world mourned.

_And still, it was all worth it. There was so much I never got to say while he was alive. So many times he left me all alone while he killed. I never got to tell him how lonely I was while he was gone. How some days, when his mission was particularly dangerous, I would sit and wait and do nothing but wait until he came back. Everything in my life was empty before him, and it just got a whole lot emptier. He knew I loved him, but did he know just how much?_

It's not until someone is gone that they can be truly appreciated, and it wasn't until Albel died that even Fayt realized how much in love he was. This time, he couldn't sit and wait for Albel to return. He was never coming back.

Then again, maybe Albel didn't mind being dead. His life has been short and violent, true, but not all of that violence was from him. Albel had suffered more than his fair share of pain. Not once had Fayt seen him smile happily, not even when they were alone and he was more gentle. No, Albel had been in pain for much of his life. His childhood, which Fayt didn't know some parts of, had been filled with abuse, hatred, and violence. Albel told Fayt he has learned young to fight for what he wanted. And finally, at age seventeen, Albel struck back with force, committing his first murders.

_No, life wasn't fair or kind to Albel, and he was never fair or kind to anyone but me. That's just the way everything works. Maybe Albel wouldn't have been such a violent person, had he not discovered so young that violence will get you what you want. None of what he did was his fault. He lived like he was taught to live. And it worked for him, just not for long enough._

However, Fayt wasn't even sure if Albel could have lived without killing anyone no matter what. He had known Albel since he was thirteen, and Albel had never once shown any real kindness or caring to anyone but Fayt. True, he tolerated, and even sometimes enjoyed talking to others, but it was really only Fayt he cared about. _Maybe some people are just born violent. Maybe Albel would have hated people no matter what. Either way, he did what he did and it can't be changed._

Fayt kicked a rock down the cliff, watching it bounce off the cliff walls, falling out of sight. _There's nothing left to do but jump. Albel wouldn't like it, but he's dead now, and death is the only choice left for me. _"I'm so sorry, Albel. I'm so sorry it had to come down to this, to me ending my own life because you were gone. I'd go through all of this again just to see your face."

He felt a tear run down his face and blinked away more. "You died rescuing me. Your death…it was meant to save me, to keep me from having to suffer more. I can't even begin to tell you how much I'm suffering now."

Fayt lacked the words to really say how he felt, to explain to his dead lover the giant rip in his soul that would consume him entirely, that maybe had already filled his whole soul, until all he could feel was a great emptiness, and the need to be back in Albel's arms.

_That won't happen, you idiot. Albel isn't coming back, you're just going away. He's not going to save you anymore, he did the best he could and that's what got him killed. Be happy he loved you until the very end, even when it caused him more pain then he already had to suffer through._

Fayt scooted a little closer to the edge of the cliff. His instincts screamed at him to be afraid, and he was a little afraid. It's only human nature to fear what comes after life, to fear pain. But Fayt knew he had to overcome his fear, to make the leap anyway.

He closed his eyes, seeing nothing, feeling only the cold rain and hearing the loud crashes of thunder in the distance. It was almost peaceful, being alone in the dark and cold with nothing but pain. _I have to jump now. Now or that man will come stop me. It's now or never._

Slowly, certain of his actions, Fayt leaned forward, over the cliff edge. With one final push, he allowed himself to fall down, spinning through the air. _Albel's never coming back. He's gone, he's dead, I won't see him anymore._

Fayt felt like he was falling in slow motion, spinning slowly, almost hanging in the air. He saw parts of his life replayed, like he was watching a movie of every moment. Him as a young child, him kissing Albel for the first time, his family hating him for what he was, Albel saving him then, and lastly, Albel, looking calm and in control, with the knife pressed to his throat that took his life.

_I loved you, Albel. I know you loved me, I know you didn't want me to hurt, but I have to be hurting, you're dead. You aren't coming back to me, and it hurts, so very badly. I don't want to feel this hurt for the rest of my life, or ever._

Fayt fell further, the wind blowing through his hair, tears falling down his cheeks silently. He opened his eyes for a second, to find himself inches away from the ground. "I love you Albel," he whispered, before his body slammed into the rocky ground.

**Author's Note: **Now, if you feel discouraged and want to stop reading this story right now so the mean author can't destroy your beloved pairing any more, please don't. I promise, there is lots more stuff to come with these two boys. Just believe in me and keep reading, the best hasn't come yet. And review. I need some reviews here, I feel like I'm getting less. Has my writing gotten worse or something? Either way, reviews are greatly appreciated.


	7. Fear and Anger

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Ocean. Or Mexican restaurants. I do own Sophia's legion of bodyguards, however. I make them dance. Like puppets.

**Date Posted:** January 20, 2006

**Author's Note: **Here it is. The product of much anger, Alexisonfire, My Chemical Romance, Coca Cola, and all the awesome reviews I got. 66 reviews! Wow! I love you guys. Very much. So I present, Chapter 7:

A man dressed in one of Sophia's uniforms ran into the bathroom, flinging aside the crooked red door. He was Japanese, tall, and slightly muscular, though he looked to have lost a fight. The man was breathing heavily, covered in rainwater. His left sleeve was ripped off, exposing a bleeding wound. Below his left eye a black bruise was forming.

"It's one of your maggots," Albel remarked. He hadn't been killed, in fact. Sophia had yelled for the man to stop once Fayt ran off. She said she didn't want Fayt betraying them for killing Albel while he wasn't there to hold up his end of the deal, but Albel would have bet she had other plans.

"It's Fayt," the servant panted, clutching at his bleeding arm.

"What the fuck did you do to my Fayt!" Albel yelled instantly, his mind racing. _Fayt, Fayt, Fayt, oh Fayt, please be alright._

The servant looked hesitant, eyeing Albel as though he might attack. "I didn't do anything to him. He…jumped off the cliff to the east."

Albel felt rage come to life within him like a fire, leaping up suddenly. It burned, consuming him, stealing all rational thought. _Fayt! No, no, damn them all! Not Fayt, my Fayt. MY Fayt can't die, I have to save him from everything, I have to make everything ok! _Albel's blood felt hot, rushing through him, his heart pounding quickly, he could hear it, the fast beating begging him to kill something. All eyes in the room were on him, waiting for a reaction.

"HOW THE FUCK COULD YOU LET HIM DO THAT! YOU SELFISH BASTARD!" The man pinning Albel down tightened his grip on his arms as Albel tried to lunge forward, blinded by the hot anger running through him.

Sophia managed to remain calm, outwardly at least, nodding and looking thoughtful. _That bitch doesn't even care that he's dead! Fayt's DEAD and she couldn't care less!_ Sophia paced the room for a moment.

"Are you sure he jumped?" She snapped.

The man nodded, looking guilty and afraid. "Positive."

_Oh, that damn bastard. I'll kill him as soon as I get out of here. He deserves death, painful death._ _I'll make him beg for mercy, make him wish he was never born. I'll watch every drop of his pathetic blood pour out of him._

"Did you try to stop him?" Sophia asked the man, now pacing more slowly, glancing up at Albel. He shot back a glare, eyes angry.

Again, the man nodded nervously. "Yes. We fought. He broke away and jumped off the cliff. There's no way he lived."

The words echoed in Albel's head, bouncing off his skull. _There's no way he lived, there's no way he lived, no way he lived. No, no, Fayt! Why did you do it? My Fayt, he jumped, he killed himself…this bastard could have stopped him. He was there when my Fayt jumped._

"How DARE you not stop him!" Albel shouted, voice filled with hatred. "He was MINE! You'll pay for this, all of you! I'LL KILL YOU ALL! NOBODY HURTS FAYT AND LIVES!" Albel snarled viciously, trying again to lunge forward and again the man held him down firmly.

"Ohh, a touch angry are we?" Sophia mocked. He couldn't stand the sound of her voice, filled with laughter, unfazed by Fayt's death.

_All the maggots will die, I'll make these stupid worms bleed. _"Do I look fucking angry to you?"

Sophia smiled innocently. "I suppose you do. You must be awfully disappointed. But you know, I loved him, too."

"You LOVED him!" Albel spat on the ground in disgust. "_You_ don't even understand love. He gave my life meaning, and I let him die! I loved him, damn it!"

Sophia's fake smile never left her face, making her look like a plastic doll. "Oh, having regrets? How sad. But I saw him first, you know. It was me who knew Fayt from the beginning, and you who came in and tried to change his mind."

"Fayt never loved you." Albel's voice was low, though the anger remained. "You've spent your whole life chasing the childish dream of marrying the sweet little boy next door. Well I took him. Now grow up and find yourself a nice, straight guy. You only taint Fayt's memory. He was MINE!"

Sophia laughed lightly, the sound annoying Albel even more. "What does it matter, now? He's dead. He doesn't belong to anyone anymore."

"You stupid bitch, you'll never get it will you! He belongs to me, dead or not!"

"All you have to cling to is a dead man? Pathetic." She paused and looked around the room. "I suppose I'll have to find a way to play this to my advantage. Perhaps in light of the tragedy, I should turn to a brave, strong man and fall in love again."

Albel glared at Sophia. "A publicity stunt. Is that what Fayt was to you?"

Sophia started back at him. "The likes of you, a murderer, wouldn't understand my life, what I have. It's powerful. I can get whatever I want."

"Well I'm sorry I can't understand selling my soul to the public."

Sophia's light laugh sounded again, and Albel only stared back at her defiantly. "What I do is more normal than getting satisfaction from murder."

It was Albel's turn to let out a hollow laugh. "I'm sure it is. Do you think I care about normal? I love what I do, it kept Fayt safe. Nobody messes with a serial killer's lover. Not until _you_, worm."

"Well I'm going to live."

"I wouldn't be so sure."

Sophia ignored his comment. "Erik!" she snapped.

The man holding Albel down looked back to Sophia. "Yes, Miss Esteed?"

_Foolish men, catering to her every whim. They're no better than her, selling themselves out to a monster like that._

"He's all yours," Sophia told him, and turned to the Japanese man, saying, "Alright, Masaki…"

The one she called Erik leaned against Albel. _Stupid maggot, get off me, you stopped me from saving Fayt, you'll die too!_

"You must be lonely without Fayt." Erik's voice was heavy with seduction. Albel glared at him, not responding, his thoughts firmly fixed on Fayt. Erik took no notice of this, running a finger down Albel's cheek as though he were a delicate woman, remarking, "You know, you're very pretty."

Albel shot the man a more intense glare. "I hate you," he said in a low voice. _No one's had the nerve to call me **pretty** in a long time. _Even Fayt had never used "pretty" to describe Albel. Maybe beautiful, but never pretty. It annoyed him, adding to the hatred he was quickly building for Erik.

"You don't seem to understand." Erik smirked. "Fayt's dead. He's gone, and you're not too bad looking." Erik's hands ran through Albel's hair. He tried to back up, to get away, only to find the wall still firmly behind him.

"Don't touch me." Albel's voice was low and threatening.

"Yeah, you've got that dangerous, sexy thing going on."

Albel snarled as Erik's hand's ruffled his hair. "Look, I'm not going to fuck you, maggot. Find someone else."

Erik narrowed his eyes, studying Albel's face. "I want you. And I get what I want."

The servant pressed his lips into Albel's, shoving his tongue into the other mans throat. Disgusted, Albel bit down hard, drawing blood from Erik's tongue.

"I loved Fayt. I won't fuck you, even if he is dead." Albel glared, satisfied with his own response.

Erik smirked, his lips smeared with blood. "Who said you'd be fucking me? I think I'd be fucking you."

Albel looked unamused and glared. "Me? Uke?" He spat on the ground again. "I don't think so."

"Oh, don't worry about the details. You'll be mine in no time." Erik's lips met Albel's again, the sweet tang of blood filling his mouth until both their lips were covered in it. Erik nodded and stroked Albel's cheek. "Yes, you look very pretty with bloody lips. It suits you."

"I said don't touch me," Albel snapped. "And I'd love to see more of your blood, all over the floor around your dead body."

"That's probably exactly how Fayt is right now, don't you think? Lying in his own blood, dead?"

The mental image of Fayt, his body twisted and covered in blood burned strongly within Albel. _No, Fayt! He can't really be like that, but he is! Why didn't I save him! Why did they do that, why to sweet, innocent Fayt, why not ME?_

Erik must have noticed the pain on Albel's face, because he was still smiling. "Yeah, he's gone."

Before Albel could say anything, Sophia interrupted. "Alright!" she called out, and everyone in the room turned to her. "Albel, we don't know what to do with you. But it's your fault Fayt is dead."

Rage flared up within Albel again. "YOU'RE BLAMING ME FOR FAYT'S DEATH!"

Sophia nodded as if this were obvious. "Well, yes. The day you come back, he jumps off a cliff. Me and him had three years together and nothing like this ever happened."

"I WAS RESCUING HIM! THIS IS YOUR FAULT, YOU FUCKED UP EVERYTHING!" Albel's voice filled with more anger and hatred as he spoke then he thought was possible.

Sophia sighed, looking extremely frustrated now. "Rescuing him! From what, Albel? A normal life? Being married to a woman, like a normal man? All you did was take away his only chance at normal happiness!"

_No, no, that's not what I did. I won't fall for her foolish tricks. _"You can't be foolish enough to think what you offered him was normal. A marriage where he feared his wife, where he longed for someone else, someone you let him think was dead!" Albel fought to contain his emotions, he never showed anything but anger or hatred in front of his victims. Not regret, or pity. "Maybe I'm a serial killer, but I know Fayt would have been happy with me. He loved me- you made him miserable, you made him ashamed, and you made him afraid!"

"Normal and happy aren't the same thing."

Albel's gaze was even. "I'd rather see Fayt happy than normal."

He tried again to break free, lunging forward and pushing away Erik, but Masaki rushed to help his fellow servant hold Albel down.

"Damn you all," Albel whispered, and reluctantly stopped his struggling.

"Much better," Sophia remarked, nodding approvingly.

Albel glared at Sophia, who looked away. _Hah! Finally, she shows a little fear. Let's see what we can do with this…_

"You're going to die," Albel informed her, his voice containing no emotion. "I'm going to kill you, however I can." His voice rose, angry, as he went on, "Nobody puts _my_ Fayt through everything you did and lives to tell about it. Don't think you can get away with what you've done. _I_ know what you did, and it will be me who makes you pay." Albel's eyes never left Sophia's as he spoke, blood dripping down his chin.

Sophia shifted her feet uneasily- the movement was small, but Albel was an expert at sniffing out fear. It was crucial to killing, knowing what scared the victim and preying upon that fear, weakening them until the murder was easy.

_Fear of death perhaps. Or maybe fear of imperfection, of losing. Maybe I can find flaws, or embarrassing moments. Mistakes. Imperfections. I can bring her down with her own imperfections, she's just that sort of person._

"So did you enjoy him?" Albel asked, still looking Sophia in the eye. He was gaining confidence, if he played her right this would work.

Sophia raised an eyebrow. "Enjoy him?"

"Yeah. My Fayt. Did you enjoy what you did to make him straight? I know all about that. Did the perfect Sophia enjoy what she did, sleeping with a gay man?"

Her eyes widened slightly and she looked down for a brief second. _She's good, but she can only hide so much fear._

Sophia recovered from this blow quickly, smiling and answering, "Did I?" She paused to laugh, the fake polite laugh heard at parties. "Well, you taught him well. He was terribly good-looking, too. Don't you agree?" Her fake laugh came again, irritating Albel more. "I have to say, he looks cute when he blushes."

Albel fought to contain his anger at hearing someone else talk about Fayt like that. _Fayt was only mine, not hers, only I get to say those things about him!_ Sophia looked satisfied, and continued.

"Hm, he looks better panting though, don't you think? Not to mention he has perfect hips…" Sophia giggled in a little girl sort of way.

That was more than Albel would have normally let anyone say about Fayt, but he was powerless to stop her. _She's trying to make me mad, so I'll do something stupid. Damn it, she's doing good too! How is it she can manage to flaunt the fact that she slept with Fayt and use it against me. I _know _he didn't love her, I won't let her win!_

Albel's defiant glare was back. "Good to know we can agree on something."

Sophia smiled sweetly. "Yes, but that doesn't seem to be doing us much good now."

"Because," Albel shot back sharply, "Fayt didn't feel the same way about you. He was my lover, not yours."

Sophia flung her arm out in frustration. "Stop calling Fayt yours! Did you _own_ him or something?"

Albel smirked and answered confidently, "In a sense. Now why are you keeping me here? What good am I doing you?"

"If I kill you, I would be charged for murder. I'm keeping you here until I get something figured out."

"Oh, being charged for murder will be the least of your worries when I'm through with you." Albel's smirk flashed again.

"Hah. Look, Nox, give it up. You aren't going to kill me, now maybe if you would help me I won't turn you in to the police, because you know they won't be as kind as me."

"After what you did to Fayt, I can never forgive you. All I want is my revenge."

Sophia laughed a little, though the sound contained nervousness. "That's pointless. Who says Fayt would want you to get this revenge? You weren't the one dating him in the last years of his life. Who says he still loves you?"

"Because he ran crying to me as soon as I came back. It's not you he wants, it's me he belongs to."

Sophia smiled very slightly, as though about to reveal something secret. "Do you think he belonged to you while he slept with me?"

Albel's eyes blazed with hatred, but he kept otherwise calm. "Yeah," he said softly. "I think he hated you almost as much as I do."

Sophia seemed to be realizing she couldn't win a battle of words against him like this, pausing thoughtfully before she answered. _Just admit he was mine and maybe I'll kill you painlessly. But it's not likely._

"Well," Sophia stated simply, looking more confident, "He's dead. Gone forever. And the last person he was with was _me_. You were just a lover from three years ago. I was something much more recent."

"THAT'S IT BITCH!" Albel yelled, aware that by losing his temper he gave up the edge he had by acting calm. "WE BOTH KNOW HE HATED YOU!"

Sophia's eyes spoke of fear, but her voice was calm. "Did he? I think he must have taken a liking to me. After all, I was his bride."

Albel glared at her, but Sophia didn't back down. "Taken a liking to you? I doubt it. Fayt never wanted your damn publicity. You act like it's some sort of miracle. Money and fame." Albel spat out blood. "What did publicity do for Fayt?"

"Publicity," Sophia interrupted, "would have brought him money and fame, like you said. It would have been enough for him to live happily, he just needed more time to adjust."

"He could never adjust to you, not after everything you did to him. He never wanted your damn publicity. It's cheap and doesn't last. You were only marrying him to get more publicity, to last longer."

"And why did you want him then? Nothing is more intriguing then a serial killer whose lover follows him everywhere."

"I would never sink to your level, to use Fayt. He followed me _willingly_, and he loved me." Albel's voice was cold, raising the tension in the room further. Sophia backed down, averting her eyes from Albel's intense glare. "You give everything up for people to notice you, maggot. Then what? You'll die and be forgotten in a few short years."

"It _is_ a miracle, though. Everywhere I go, people know my name. There's always someone to do my bidding. Everything I want, I can get through money and fame. Don't you want Fayt to have that?"

Albel smirked and answered, "That's nothing fear can't accomplish. And fear is what kept Fayt safe, until you made him a publicity stunt. YOU even caused his suicide!"

Sophia sighed, obviously annoyed. "We've been over this- it was obviously your fault. It's a classic scenario. Boy loves girl, girl loves boy, creepy murder ruins everything!" Sophia's voice rose in volume and anger as she spoke. "I'll be enjoying my publicity. You can enjoy the death penalty."

_They can condemn me to death, that doesn't scare me. I lived for Fayt, and he's dead now. I failed on him in the end. Death is only what I **deserve.**_

"Go ahead. Turn me in. It won't help you now, I'll still kill you," Albel spoke in a low, threatening voice, as though he were in control, not her.

"Help me? Can't you just see the news tomorrow?" She flung her hands out, as though picturing something grand. "Albel Nox captured! What really happened after the wedding! I'll come out looking depressed, crying over how you threw Fayt off a cliff."

"YOU BITCH!" Albel cut in. He lunged forward, but was pushed back by Masaki and Erik. "I think it'll be more like your obituary!"

Sophia laughed confidently, Albel _was_ pinned down and he knew it. "Hah! You're trapped, you can't hurt me. Give it up. We've just got to wait a while, make the story believable."

_Hah, that only gives me time. I've still got a gun. Maybe if I can trick Masaki away, I'll have time to reload…_

"Hey Masaki, I'll make a deal with you," Albel whispered to the servant.

Masaki narrowed his eyes. "Hah. Like what?"

"Well, we both know I can break free any time I want, so it's really Sophia that needs guarding. You stay here and act like you're helping hold me down, then I'll break free and kill Sophia while she's unprotected. I'll give you money, come on."

Maskai laughed dryly and let go of Albel. "Yeah right, murderer." He walked to Sophia and stood in front of her. "You won't be hurting Miss Esteed." Sophia smiled triumphantly.

_Fools. That was too easy. Now, Erik will be easy._

Albel sighed, as if annoyed. "Damn it, you've got me. I'll go along with your plan."

Sophia smiled, flashing brilliant white teeth. "I knew you'd see things my way. That makes this so much easier."

Erik grinned, turning to Sophia. All eyes were on her, and Albel took the opportunity, snatching three bullets out of his boot and loading the gun, before quickly dropping both hands again. "So I can have him, then?" Erik asked. The man's eyes traveled over Albel, studying every inch of him.

Sophia shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me what you two do."

_This is my chance. Alright, come on Erik, do this right._ The unpredictability of people was always the unknown factor, but Albel was almost certain Erik would fall right into his trap.

Albel leaned into the bodyguard, breathing onto his neck. "I'll gladly be yours," he whispered, sliding his slender hands easily under the man's shirt.

Erik breathed heavily, leaning in closer to Albel, their hips grinding together. "Of course you will."

Albel's mouth moved to the other man's neck, sucking on the skin lightly, hoping to distract him. It worked perfectly- Erik paid no attention to Albel's hands moving up his chest.

Erik pushed Albel further into the wall, trying to move closer to him. Instantly, his expression turned from lust to fear. In moving closer to Albel, he slammed his chest right into the gun still in Albel's hand.

"I told you I wasn't going to fuck you," Albel whispered. He pulled the trigger and Erik fell down dead, blood pouring from him, forming a red coating on the floor.

"Lust," Albel remarked, kicking aside the body, "can be more powerful then fear."

Sophia, however, looked very afraid. She was left alone with a serial killer and a guard who was obviously unarmed. Her face was white, and her voice shook. "Masaki…run. I want someone who has the whole story."

The servant looked hesitant. "Miss Esteed, if I leave you here with him, he'll kill you! I can't…"

Sophia shook her head. "No, Masaki. Go. Make sure the public knows everything!"

Masaki nodded, and ran, stopping at the door to look back. Albel pointed the gun at him and he took off running again.

Albel laughed wildly. He loved the fear, everywhere there was fear. It was all over Sophia's face, it hung about her, and he wanted to breathe it in, to revel in the fear he had created. Fear was all she had let Fayt feel, fear was in Fayt's eyes when he spoke of her, fear radiated from Fayt when she was near him and fear would be his sweet revenge. Fear would punish Sophia, punish her until he killed her in the midst of all her fear.

Albel slammed the gun into Sophia's face, and kicked her in the stomach. She fell down, shrieking in pain as she hit the ground. Albel pointed the gun at her forehead, smirking in delight.

"I win."

**Author's Note: **Yup. Sophia just got slammed in the face and has a gun pointed at her! WAHAHAHAHAHA! I KNOW YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR THIS!

I told you having faith in me was a good thing, didn't I? Who knows where I'm going next! Only me, some friends (most of whom really don't care), my boyfriend and my sister. Heh…but not you. Unless you are one of aforementioned people.

REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! I loved all the reviews last time, and now I have faith that you can do that again! Don't hesitate to send a good review, I don't care if it's short!


	8. Perfection

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Star Ocean, this would be the sequel, not a fanfiction. Therefore, we can conclude I don't own Star Ocean. Or Advil.

**Date Posted:** Februrary 4, 2006

**Author's Note: **Ah, yes. The chapter we've all been waiting for. It's a bit like the last one, maybe a tad repetitive, but the next one is very long and pretty awesome and action-filled. I think all you blood-thirsty readers will like this one though. ;;

Chapter 8: Perfection 

"You know you never stood a chance," Albel remarked, gun still pointed at Sophia's head. She lay on the floor, shaking, but otherwise remaining still. "You knew you were up against a man who kills for a living. So why bother?"

"BECAUSE EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE PERFECT!" Sophia yelled, looking panicked.

Albel threw his head back, laughing humorlessly. "THIS is your idea of perfect? My Fayt is dead! Not because he stood up for himself or fought, but because he couldn't stand to live! Where's the perfection!" Albel slammed the gun into Sophia's forehead, causing her to wince in pain. "Answer me, maggot. Is this really perfect?"

"I….well…" Sophia trailed off, looking as though she was thinking hard.

Albel smirked. "It's not. Even you can't pretend everything's ok now."

He reached into his right boot and yanked out a knife, turning it, watching the light play on it's surface. "Knives kill much more slowly than guns," he informed Sophia, tossing the blade into the air and catching it with ease. Sophia watched as it spun, the fear in her eyes obvious.

With one swift movement, Albel expertly threw the knife, allowing it to slash Sophia's leg open, creating a long, red line. She shook violently with fear, whimpering and pulling away as Albel retrieved his knife, satisfied.

"I've wanted to see your blood for a long time. It's proof you're just like the rest of us. See, it doesn't sparkle with perfection." Albel smirked, wiping blood off the knife. "The only things all people have in common- blood and death. I intend to familiarize you with both by the end of the night."

"Look, Fayt's dead," Sophia said in a falsely gentle voice. "Maybe we can get on with our lives now? We both spent so much time with him, and with this whole incident, maybe it's best if we just moved on."

"I can't move on. Fayt was my life, I have nothing to move on to!"

"I'll give you a normal life to move on to. You can have a job as one of my gun men and forget all about this. You don't have to protect Fayt anymore." Beneath the false calm, there was pure fear in Sophia's voice.

"Shut up, bitch! YOU could never understand! I didn't _have_ to protect Fayt, I _lived_ to protect him! He was the only thing I had, and the only thing I needed!"

"Do you want someone new to protect?" Sophia asked softly, backing away.

Albel sighed angrily. "No." He pointed the gun at her head, and Sophia flinched. "You talk too much. I know what you're trying to do. Calm down the crazy serial killer by offering him what he wants. Do you know what I want, Sophia?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Money?"

"No, you bitch! I want him back! I want you DEAD!" Albel yelled, kicking Sophia.

Sophia whimpered, but continued her attempts at negotiating with Albel. "So you failed in protecting him and now you want to kill me for it?"

_Stupid bitch, I know I failed, now shut the hell up about it! _Albel pointed the gun at Sophia again, knife still clenched firmly in his left hand. "I thought I told you, you talk too damn much. If you're trying to make me feel guilty, give it up."

"You don't feel like you could have stopped him?"

_I know what she's doing, I know it. I do it all the time. _"I blamed myself for screwing up a long time ago. I should have left Fayt before anyone found out about us." Albel glared at Sophia, watching with satisfaction as her green eyes widened in what looked like fear.

"And why didn't you? Maybe you can make up for it now," Sophia said, her voice now painfully fake.

"Quit that damn fake happy voice. I don't have to explain myself to a maggot like you!" Albel snapped, waving the gun a little as he spoke.

"Is it because you don't have an explanation?" Sophia asked softly, her voice more real now.

"I don't fucking know why I didn't leave him!" Albel yelled. "I stole his chance to live and be happy, because he fell in love with me!"

Sophia smiled. "So the mighty Albel Nox failed."

Albel kicked Sophia again, harder this time, silencing her. "Shut up, maggot." _She shouldn't be much a problem. Weakling. But what am I trying to do now?_

Albel looked down at Sophia, examining her. _Fayt's dead now. There's nothing left for me… I should have done this the right way before I met him._

"Sophia, do you have any bleach?"

"Bleach? Well, um, yes…"

_Didn't think someone like her would wear white without carrying some bleach. _"Hand it over," Albel ordered, raising the gun a little to make his point clear.

Sophia reached inside the white sweater she had put on after the wedding and pulled out a small bottle of bleach, handing it to Albel. He shook the container, listening to the liquid swish. _Not enough to die.. Maybe she has more._

"Bleach kills when you drink it," Albel remarked.

"Suicide?" Sophia asked.

"None of your business, maggot," Albel snapped back.

Sophia looked uncertain for a moment before speaking again. "Wasn't Fayt annoying anyway?"

_Oh, that's it bitch!_ Albel dropped to the floor instantly, punching her firmly in the face. Sophia cried out in pain, but he brought his fist against her face one more time before leaping back up, gun pointed at Sophia.

"I'm starting to get annoyed with YOU. YOU'RE trying to make me not love Fayt. You're afraid I'll kill you, aren't you?" Albel smirked at Sophia, who was clutching her nose, which looked broken. She didn't answer, so Albel continued. "It won't work. You stupid bitch, you'll never stop me from loving him."

Their eyes met, Sophia's afraid. _Good. I want her to be afraid. I want her to wish her death would come faster! She's a coward_. Albel narrowed his eyes at Sophia. _Maybe I should just give her what she wants. If Fayt's dead, what does it matter?_

"Take it." Albel loosened his grip on the gun and held it out to her. Sophia stared, wide-eyed, but slowly took it, hands shaking. "If this is what you wanted, go for it." Albel smirked. "Shoot me."

Sophia's hand trembled more violently and she nervously bit her lip. "I don't have a secret plan," Albel said. Still, she made no move to fire. _Just as I thought. _"Ah. So you can't kill. Not a rare thing."

"I-I can. But I…" Sophia's voice trailed off.

Albel laughed dryly. "Then shoot me, you stupid bitch. Shoot me."

"T-that would ruin the perfection."

"What the hell kind of perfection is this! You know you caused Fayt's death, you know you raped him, but you can't kill the man you've hated for so long!" Albel's eyes were wild, staring at Sophia.

"I was d-doing the right thing. I was trying to… to make him better. I only wanted to cure him. I'll be forgiven." Sophia smiled slightly. "I've still got perfection."

"You sick bitch. Fayt didn't need to be cured. He was MINE! All mine, and anything wrong with him was just a scar from his past. I treated him well, it was you who ruined him, who broke him down. You never had perfection!"

Sophia's eyes widened. "I need perfection. He was part of the perfection. He was nice and sensitive; the perfect man. Just what I needed to complete my perfection."

Albel glared at Sophia, kicking her again. "Fayt was perfect, but not once you stole him. You're lucky he didn't try to commit suicide before this."

Sophia looked down. "We kept him locked up in the mansion for most of the first two years. By then, I don't think he minded so much."

"You don't think he minded! He hated being with you!" Albel yelled.

"But… I loved him." Sophia's voice was soft, afraid.

_Could she have really had feelings for him? She makes it sound like he was perfect for publicity, but maybe there was more? _Albel stared down at Sophia, before answering in a low voice,"If you really did love him, that's the only thing we'll ever have in common." Sophia nodded, still looking afraid.

"Now, do you have any other poisons?"

"Why would I carry poison?"

"Pills, maybe?" Albel gestured at the white purse slung over her shoulder. Sighing, Sophia pulled out a full bottle of Advil. Albel smirked, taking it. "Perfect."

"Fayt's not worth it. He's not worth your life."

Albel laughed. "And you say you loved him. He _was _my life. Why not let me die, anyway?"

Sophia smiled, looking confident. "I'm saving you."

"I'm already going to hell. Don't bother."

"But I want everything to be _perfect_. Don't you? Religion…it, it offers some standard for perfection. A good one." Sophia's voice shook, and she stared at the gun pointed at her as she spoke.

"Well hallelujah. Now, are you going to kill me or not?"

Sophia shook her head. "I'm going to save you. Don't do this, or I'll fail in saving you."

Albel spat on the ground, eyes blazing with the fire of anger. "You sound just like Fayt's family. They're _dead_. I made them die."

"And yet, you think you loved one of their family. It would be so easy to leave your wrong ways behind and hate him, too. He's dead anyway." Sophia sounded more afraid at the mention of Fayt's family.

Albel turned his glare from the floor to Sophia. "I told you, I won't stop loving Fayt. I would have died for him, I would sell my soul just to see him one more time. Nothing you do can change that. I'm going to die, and you can't stop it." He smirked. "But you can help it. Shoot me."

Albel's crimson eyes challenged Sophia to shoot him. She tightened her grip on the gun, but didn't pull the trigger. _She's too set in her ways. She'll take more convincing if she's going to shoot me._

"Haven't you always wanted to kill me? Remember when we were younger, when you wanted Fayt so badly but I had him?"

Sophia nodded, adjusting her finger, gripping the gun.

"Didn't you want to kill me then? You would have done anything to steal him from me. After we ran off together, then did you wish I was dead? Wish I was never born?"

Sophia's eyes widened. "I-I don't know. That's all in the past…"

Albel glared at her. "Shoot me, damn it. Just shoot me."

"Are you begging me to end your life?" Sophia was clearly afraid to pull the trigger.

"I'm _telling _you I don't care if you do. I can end my own life if I need to, but you've spent so long trying to have me killed, why not do it yourself?" Albel's glare challenged her to answer him, to fire at him, but she did nothing.

_That stupid bitch won't do it. She might as well have shot Fayt, but she won't kill me, not directly. She's caused all this destruction anyway, why the hell won't she shoot? She's a coward._

Sophia now looked as though she were considering it, staring at the gun, running a finger along it.

_Maybe I can scare her into it… or just finish her off._

"Damn you!" Albel yelled, bringing the knife down, slashing Sophia across her neck and down to her shoulder, blood pouring out of the wound and onto the knife and his hands. Sophia screamed, letting the gun fall from her hands. "You killed Fayt, you know you killed him!"

"No!" She screamed. "I didn't kill him, he killed himself, it wasn't me!"

Albel ignored her screaming, swinging the blade wildly at Sophia, blood pouring everywhere, staining his hands, splattering onto his face. Sophia attempted to fight back, kicking and punching and screaming. Albel brought his knife across her skin over and over, intent on seeing more of her blood.

"Shut up, you murdering bitch, do you know what you did to MY Fayt! You killed him!" Albel was in a blind rage now, tossing the knife aside and punching her. Both were fighting wildly with their bare hands, Sophia trying to fend off Albel, who attacked relentlessly.

Albel kicked her aside, leaping up. He was breathing heavily, and Sophia's blood covered his hands. "Changed your mind yet? Want to kill me now?" Albel's voice carried a mocking tone to it, still challenging her to shoot.

Sophia was lying on the floor, bleeding, obviously in pain. Blood dripped onto the floor slowly, forming bright red puddles around her.

_Maybe not enough to kill her, but enough to hurt badly. She won't ever forget this._

"I didn't kill Fayt," Sophia answered, whimpering slightly. "I didn't want him…dead. Just you. You're always in my way. Stopping me from getting to Fayt. I was meant to be with him, not you."

"It's too late for that now, bitch. You've let him die."

"I'm going to win this time, Nox! I'm going to beat you!" Sophia yelled, green eyes wild.

Albel only laughed dryly, and pointed at the gun lying on the floor next to her. "If you really want me dead, just shoot me. I'm giving you the chance to kill me, take it if you want it!"

"I can't become a murderer," Sophia answered shakily. "It wouldn't be right."

Albel's glare turned cold. "We're beyond right and wrong, don't you think? We're fighting over a dead man. You want me dead, but you won't shoot me because you think you still have a chance at perfection. What is it you're hanging onto?"

Sophia looked away. "I'm hanging onto the perfection I can still keep. Maybe you've lost everything, but I can come out of this alive, and I can get my publicity. It's you who has nothing, not me."

"You think I don't know that!" Albel snapped. "You stole everything I had. Go on and take your publicity, your perfection. I'll be happy with death. Shooting me won't taint you."

"Murderers are crazy. They kill people, they love killing people. I can't become one, I can't be like you." Sophia's voice shook violently as she spoke.

"Don't want to be like me, hm?" Albel smirked. "I got Fayt. You didn't. Maybe it was a gender thing, but he still loved me more."

"You're a murderer," Sophia whispered.

"You're too weak to kill me. Too god damn scared of ruining something that only exists in your mind." Albel walked to the broken door and turned to Sophia. "Kill me now, or let me kill myself. I don't care either way, I just need to get out of this life."

She picked up the gun and raised it.

_Finally, she's breaking down. She's going to shoot me._ Albel smirked, waiting.

Sophia lay there, gun pointed at Albel, eyes thoughtful. After a long pause, she dropped the weapon.

"I won't," she said simply. "I'm no murderer. It's too…tainted."

Albel glared at her. "So you can't do it?"

"As long as you die, I might as well save myself and not become a killer."

"Suit yourself. But don't think you've won. I still had Fayt." _Suicide it is then._ "I suppose you'll get your precious publicity after all." He paused. "If you don't die of blood loss."

_She probably will. She's too hurt to get help. Serves the bitch right, too._

Albel glared at Sophia, savoring the look of complete fear in her eyes for a moment. Blood surrounded her, a thin layer of red on the floor, falling off her pale skin to add a crimson backdrop as she lay in absolute fear, death suddenly a very real possibility.

Albel turned to the door and walked out. He was greeted by the mass of dead bodies- all his kills. _She won't have many left to defend her after this._ There were bloody footprints on the floor where Fayt must have run out. _Fayt… don't worry Fayt. I'm coming for you._

He dashed out of the restaurant, knowing exactly where he needed to go. The cliff the city sat on. The cliff Fayt had already jumped off.

**Author's Note: **Cue the mass panic of the Albel fans. Heh. Oh, I forgot to mention, this is probably the last chapter I'll write entirely with this computer. Yes, there comes a time when we all must move on to better computers. In other words, I'm getting a laptop. Yay. Next chapter will be awesome beyond reason. Or, um, at least really long. And lots of stuff will happen. Sounds like fun, yes? So review. I like reviews. I like people who review.


	9. If I Fall

**Disclaimer: **I understand some of you readers are very special. You might not have noticed that, even though anything can happen in a magical world, I do not own Star Ocean.

**Date Posted: **February 12, 2006

**Author's Note:** It's really hard to spell February. ;; It's a crappy month anyway. March is the Holy Month. Lots of good stuff is happening. Speaking of March- in the beginning of March, there's going to be a vote on an amendment that would ban gay marriage in the whole USA. Cross your fingers they don't pass it!

Also, sorry about you guys getting the alert saying I posted it on the 11th. I did, but it was formatted badly (No paragraphs. Ew.) so now it's better. ;;

**Chapter 9: If I Fall**

As Albel dashed from the restaurant into the night, he had only one thing on his mind- Fayt. He could feel his whole world falling apart, everything he had worked for was going up in flames tonight. He already missed Fayt painfully, but he refused to let himself cry.

_Maybe when I was younger I would have cried, but I don't have the right to cry over death anymore. Damn it Fayt, I was supposed to protect you. Instead I was pinned to a wall by a knife while that bitch kissed you! And right in front of me, too. I failed. I let Fayt down, I let Sophia use him. I deserve worse then an easy fall to my death, much worse. Damn it, for the last three years Fayt's been in pain and I didn't stop it!_

Albel bit his lip firmly, holding back tears. He ran on, staring at the muddy ground, tasting his own blood mixed with rainwater. He tried to imagine what Fayt might have been thinking as he ran down this path, to the very same cliff Albel was headed for.

_Did he think about me? Was he still ashamed, did he feel worthless? Maybe he was angry at me. I did let him down._

Albel held back more tears, running faster, wanting to get to the end sooner.

_I let my Fayt think I was dead. MY FAYT killed himself! I'm supposed to tell him everything will be ok! I failed. I'm just another failure. Failure. Failure._

The word echoed in Albel's head, mocking him with each running step he took, as muddy rainwater splashed up to wash blood off his hands. He could see the cliff ahead already, and ran faster, sprinting through the storm. A bright bolt of lightening lit the black sky, illuminating the edge of the cliff.

_Time to end my miserable existence. Failures don't deserve to live._

Albel paused for a moment at the edge of the cliff. He closed pale lids over crimson eyes and leapt forward, feeling the ground below him disappear and turn to air as he fell. He was flying through the air, speeding towards the end he brought upon himself. The end he had wanted before Fayt.

And still it was Fayt that haunted him in what he knew were his last moments. Albel could picture Fayt perfectly as he spun through the air, every detail. The way his blue hair hung over his face messily when they were kissing, the adoration that shone in his green eyes, the soft feel of his lips, the way his body fit perfectly in Albel's arms.

But what haunted Albel most was that he could recall perfectly the terrified look on Fayt's face when Sophia kissed him, and the shame when he spoke of what she had done to him.

_I should have stopped her._

That was the last thing Albel thought before he hit the ground and everything turned black.

Albel's eyes flew open, and he was greeted by a dull pain in his right side.

_I can feel pain. Am I alive, or in hell?_

He sat up slowly, looking around. Rain was pouring down heavily, falling in thick sheets against the pitch-black sky. A full moon illuminated the scene, rain clouds forming only at its edges to create an eerie mood in the sky.

_Am I alive?_

Crimson eyes darted around, searching for some sign of another life. Around him he saw only mud and rocks, complimented by junk people had thrown off the edge, with the occasional nearly dead plant trying to grow. The pain in his right side flared up as he turned, and he stopped, grimacing.

_I've lived through much worse. And I must still be alive; this looks like the canyon… But how did I survive that fall?_

Looking down, Albel realized he had landed on a thick old mattress, which must have broken his fall.

"Damn mattress, I could have died. At least I still have those poisons."

Albel looked to his right, ignoring the pain and reaching for the bottle of Advil beside him.

_I'll just overdose on this. It'll kill me all the same._

A movement by the canyon wall caught his eye, something mostly hidden by a dead bush.

The thing appeared to be a man, his chest rising and falling slowly. Albel leaned in, trying to get a better view of the man, when he realized who it was.

"FAYT!" Albel yelled, filling with sudden happiness. Fayt only groaned, his eyes still firmly shut.

_He's alive! Fayt's alive, we can be together again, he's ok!_

"Fayt, you're alive! I'm alive! Fayt, we lived!" Albel dragged himself over to Fayt, lying on his stomach and propping himself up on his elbows.

Fayt's eyes opened slightly, gazing at Albel. His eyes were dull, almost lifeless. Their color was a hazy green, much like an ocean's clouded waters, in stark contrast to their usual sparkling emerald green. "Albel!" he croaked out, voice breaking as he spoke.

"It's me, Fayt. I'm here," Albel reassured him, his joy turning into worry.

Fayt smiled, though he still looked pained. "You're alive!"

Albel stared down at Fayt uncertainly. "Yeah, we're both alive. But you…" Albel ran his hand over a large wound in Fayt's head, just above his left ear.

"Am I going to make it?" Fayt asked softly.

Albel looked Fayt in the eye, wanting to tell him everything would be all right, that they would both be ok, that they would run away and never see Sophia again. He couldn't stand to see Fayt so close to death, and looking so hopeless, like he didn't care if he died.

"I don't know, Fayt. I'll try to save you." Albel tried to sound reassuring, but he wasn't sure of himself at all. Fayt tried to smile, but instead winced in pain.

_My Fayt…I have one more chance to save him. I won't let him die, not MY poor little Fayt. He's going to survive no matter what._

_"_How did you find me, Albel?" Fayt asked as Albel sat up, lifted the other man's head into his lap.

"Masaki told us what happened. I killed Erik, nearly killed Sophia, then tried the same thing you did. It was only luck that I landed so close to you."

Fayt reached a hand out, taking Albel's hand. His grip was weak, but he hung on. "I doubted you, Albel. I didn't think you would come save me. I woke up and you weren't there, and I thought you must be dead. I thought if I just closed my eyes again, I would die. Then you came… I'm so sorry Albel, I love you."

"It's ok Fayt, you thought I was dead. And I thought you were dead. We're both going to be fine, I'm here to save you," Albel reassured him, parting his lover's thick, blue hair to see the cut on his head.

Albel ripped a wet strand of black cloth from his shirt and pressed it to Fayt's head, trying to stop the bleeding. Fayt winced, closing his eyes.

_Fayt, in pain… I can't let him die here, I need to save him. He's counting on me; he's always counted on me. I can't let him down now._

"It's ok," Albel whispered. "I won't fail you this time, not anymore."

Fayt nodded. "I know you won't."

A bright bolt of lightening lit up the canyon and allowed Albel to see, with horrifying clarity, the wound in Fayt's head. It looked treatable, but it was bleeding heavily, and the edges of it were caked in mud, which was now stained red.

"Damn it Fayt, you're hurt…"

Albel wiped the mud off Fayt, still pressing the cloth against his head, attempting to slow the bleeding. Fayt winced again at this, and clung more tightly to Albel's hand, his eyes still closed.

_MY Fayt isn't supposed to be hurt. He **is** going to live! He** has** to!_

Albel pressed the cloth against Fayt's head more firmly, and the bleeding looked like it was slowing down. Fayt's eyes opened, looking more alert now.

"Albel… you came to save me," he said, his voice still sounding as though it was about to give out.

Albel smirked affectionately, inwardly flooded with relief. Gently, he cupped Fayt's cheek in his hand, running his thumb down the other man's face.

"I love you," he whispered, and leaned down, gently kissing Fayt. Fayt smiled, and regained that familiar look of adoration in his eyes.

"You're not bleeding so much anymore. You look more alive," Albel remarked, eyes moving up and down Fayt, searching for any other cuts.

Fayt smiled. "So I'll live?"

"Would I let you die?"

Fayt shook his head, and closed his eyes again, falling asleep.

It didn't take long for Fayt's head to stop bleeding entirely. The cut, which wasn't too widely opened, only needed Albel to hold it together for about an hour, during which Fayt slept.

Albel held the other man's head in his lap a while longer, admiring Fayt. He looked, Albel thought, peaceful when he slept. His face still had the same almost childish innocence Albel remembered, though he had no idea how Fayt managed to stay so innocent while Albel was off killing people.

"It hasn't been easy for him," Albel whispered to himself.

At the sound of his lover's voice, Fayt's eyes fluttered open. "Albel," he whispered hoarsely. "What did you do with Sophia? You said you nearly killed her… Will she be dead now?"

_Damn it, if she lives, she's armed now. She's too afraid to use it, but she still has it._

"I don't know if she lived. I tried to get her to shoot me, too. She's crazy, Fayt. Completely crazy. And she's got a gun now." Albel frowned slightly. "But she's badly hurt. She had to be at least somewhat prepared for emergency when she came chasing after me, I figure she'll take care of herself. Then, with any luck, she'll sleep there. Perfect publicity scene."

Fayt looked as though he were processing this information, then nodded. "You have a plan, right?" he asked, looking up at Albel.

Albel smirked confidently. "I think so. We'll spend the night here, first- you need some rest."

Fayt smiled and answered, "I knew you'd pull through somehow Albel. You always do. She won't hurt us anymore, will she?"

Albel lay down next to Fayt, pulling him close. "I told you, I'm going to kill her. She'll never touch you again. After what she did to you, she has to die."

The blue-haired man nodded slowly and scooted closer to Albel, their rain-soaked bodies pressing against one another. Albel's arms wrapped more tightly around Fayt, and he could feel the other man relax. Fayt's emerald eyes stared up at Albel, and their lips met, Albel easily sliding his tongue into Fayt's mouth.

Albel's mouth moved down from Fayt's lips to his neck, sucking on rain-soaked skin, determined to leave his mark on _his _Fayt. The younger man tangled his hands in Albel's dark hair, moaning lightly. Albel pressed against Fayt, pushing him onto the ground and laying on top of him, their hips grinding together.

Albel's hands ran up and down Fayt's sides, mouth moving up to let his tongue trace along Fayt's ear. Fayt moaned more loudly, letting Albel's hands run over him.

Satisfied that Fayt was still his, Albel lay next to him again, whispering, "You still belong to me, not matter what she did to you."

Fayt smiled slightly and answered, "I always belonged to you, Albel. What Sophia did doesn't matter. It's like you said, she's crazy."

Albel pulled Fayt closer, and the blue-haired man wrapped an arm loosely around him, drifting off into sleep.

_I can't believe he survived that. I never thought I'd have my precious Fayt back in my arms, alive._ He gently kissed Fayt's forehead, careful not to wake him. _And once Sophia is dead, he'll be only mine. Stupid bitch, sleeping with him. And daring to when she knew I was still alive!_

Albel ground his teeth together, holding more tightly to Fayt. _He won't be quite the same after what she did. He didn't seem to have a problem with me touching him. _Albel twisted his mouth, musing. _That was probably the first woman he ever slept with._

True, sometimes Fayt had been seme for brief moments, but Albel imagined that for him, sleeping with a woman must have been a whole new, and unpleasant, experience. Albel himself had always been with men.

_Poor Fayt. I can't fail like that anymore. I screwed this up, and look where it got him! I'm not letting that bitch take him back. Fayt is MINE, and she's going to die._

Determined to carry out his plan and murder Sophia, Albel closed his eyes, falling into a light sleep, rain pouring down on the two sleeping men as they held each other.

Albel awoke early the next morning, though he couldn't be sure what the time was. He had never let himself sleep in, and they had a mission. He looked up, trying to determine the time, and was rewarded with a raindrop in his eye.

"Damn weather," he muttered, blinking water out of his eye. The rain was still heavy, though the sky was orange now, the sun just rising from the ground.

Turning to Fayt, Albel whispered the other man's name. Green eyes snapped open, looking at Albel sleepily. "We've got to get out of here," Albel informed him, standing up. Fayt slowly stood, shaking collected rainwater from his blue hair.

_I'll have to take him with me to kill her. I swore I'd never bring him on missions, especially not a dangerous one like this. Even if he isn't killed, he could be captured again._

If Albel had believed in a greater power, he would have begged for Fayt's life to be spared at any cost

_I'll make sure he doesn't get hurt. We'll both come out of there alive, and everything will go back to normal after this._

"Fayt."

The blue-haired man looked up.

"Grab a gun. Top one on the left side should work."

Fayt nodded and obeyed him, reaching into Albel's coat and pulling out a black handgun. He handed it to Albel, who shook his head.

"For you, I meant. Do you know how to use it?"

Fayt's eyes widened, full of fear, and Albel felt a pang of guilt. _I shouldn't be bringing him, especially not this time, with Sophia. I wish he never had to see her again, but if I leave him, they'll come for him._

"No," Fayt answered, his eyes meeting Albel's, as though begging to be left behind.

"I can't leave you here. Her people will come," Albel explained, looking away. "I can show you how to use that though. Just in case."

Fayt nodded in understanding, and allowed Albel to stand behind him, arms over Fayt's, showing him how to hold the gun.

"Just hold it like this, aim," he raised the gun, "and shoot." Albel pressed Fayt's finger down on the trigger. There was an echo in the canyon, and the sound of the gunshot bounced off the rock walls.

Fayt shook slightly, but nodded again. "I can do it."

Albel sighed. "Don't be afraid. I won't let her hurt you." Albel's arms wrapped around Fayt as he spoke softly in the other man's ear.

"I know. I trust you."

Albel let his arms drop to his sides again. "Let's go."

Fayt turned, looking confused. "How? And don't you need a gun?"

The dark-haired man smiled, and kissed Fayt lightly. "Don't worry, I have this figured out. We're climbing this cliff. And…" he pulled a small, silver gun out of one of the tall, black boots he wore. Albel never let himself go anywhere without a gun or two shoved in them.

Fayt nodded and walked to the cliff, placing his foot on a rock ledge and starting up. Albel was quick to join him, climbing alongside Fayt silently.

Albel couldn't be sure how long they climbed for. The rising sun was quickly hidden by rain clouds, as the storm worsened. Occasionally, he forced Fayt to stop climbing and rest.

They were over halfway up the cliff when Albel slipped. The dirt on the cliff had turned to slippery mud, and he suddenly found himself hanging on with one hand.

"Damn it," Albel muttered, clawing at the mud with his other hand.

Fayt stopped and started to move around Albel to help him, but was stopped by a shout from Albel. "No! It's too damn slippery over here!"

Fayt had to shout his reply over the storm. "Albel, you're going to fall!"

Albel met Fayt's eyes for a moment. "Don't stop! If I fall, leave me- I'll be dead anyway! Just kill her on your own!"

Fayt didn't answer, staring at Albel as he clawed his way slowly up. For the rest of the climb, Albel let Fayt climb where there were rocks, while he went up through the mud. _I've climbed buildings, this is nothing. He needs to be safe._

Albel didn't know when they finally reached the top, only that they had been climbing for a long time. The sun was still hidden by dark clouds. He pulled himself up onto the flat ground, helping Fayt up after him. _Well, we made it through that part alive._

"Ready?" Albel asked, studying Fayt's green eyes. They looked afraid, yet trusting.

There was a bright flash of lightening followed by a loud clap of thunder. Fayt nodded, and they set off for the restaurant, Albel trying to run more slowly for Fayt.

"Don't let her hurt you, ok?" Albel called out over the rain as they ran.

"Albel, I think I'll be ok," Fayt called back.

"I'll make _sure_ you're ok. Just don't do anything stupid. Leave it up to me to take care of her."

The restaurant was close now, and the paranoid feeling of worry inside Albel was growing rapidly. _If that bitch touches him, or hurts him, her death will be as slow and painful as I can make it._

They reached the tall doors of the restaurant, and Albel stopped. "This is it." _This is the end. _Fayt nodded breathlessly, panting. _Damn it, does he have to pant like that?_

Albel smirked, pushing Fayt against the red doors, their lips connecting instantly. Albel's hands found their way under Fayt's shirt, moving over his chest, before wrapping his arms around Fayt.

"She's going down now," Albel whispered, pulling his lips away from Fayt's.

"What's going to happen after this?" Fayt asked, staring up into Albel's red eyes.

"Everything. We can go back to what we were before; we can be more than that. We can do anything we want after this," Albel whispered, and pulled Fayt closer. "We still have so much left."

Fayt smiled slightly, his arms wrapping around Albel's waist. "You've never sounded so happy to be alive."

"I've never seen a miracle like this before. We both should have died in that canyon," Albel whispered back.

"Yeah. But we didn't." Fayt smiled slightly, looking hopeful.

"I love you," Albel whispered in his ear.

"I love you too."

They kissed again, Albel placing his mouth firmly over Fayt's, tongue moving over every part of his mouth it could reach. _She can't take him now. Nothing can break us apart anymore._

The two men broke the kiss reluctantly, Albel's eyes still moving up and down Fayt's rain-soaked body. _Focus on the mission._

Fayt nodded, spinning around and pushing the door open. The smell of blood hung heavily in the air, dead bodies strewn over the now red floor. Albel stepped inside first, followed by Fayt. He could sense Fayt's nervousness, and wished he could have left him behind.

"She should be waiting for the police to show up with her publicity, then." Albel smirked. "They're too stupid to figure out where she is. Too many buildings in the city, and almost everyone from this part of town was at the wedding anyway."

Fayt nodded, and the couples continued in silence to the bathroom. The only sound was feet hitting puddles of blood. Albel looked back to Fayt, who was staring at all the bodies, wide-eyed.

_Well, it is a lot of people. But it was all for him._

They reached the bathroom, and Albel slowly opened the door, which was now barely hanging on. It creaked slightly as it swung, banging against the wall.

"Remember what I said- keep going if I fall," Albel whispered.

They stepped inside the small room, to be greeted by a shocked Sophia.

"Fayt! You should be _dead_!"

Albel laughed, stepping closer to Sophia, and answered, "He survived the fall. So did I."

He raised the gun in his hand, aiming it directly at Sophia's head. She was sitting on the floor, the gun next to her, bandages wrapped sloppily around the wounds from Albel's knife.

"It's you who won't live," Albel finished.

Sophia screamed, and there was a loud gunshot. Albel hadn't fired. Sophia had. For a moment, he waited for the pain. It never came.

Instead, it was Fayt who let out a pained scream. Albel spun around to find Fayt clutching a bleeding arm. From the expression on his face, it was clear Fayt was in pain.

"Fayt!" Albel lifted his arm, trying desperately to stop the bleeding with his hands. Fayt bit his lip, watching with scared eyes as Albel pressed harder on his arm.

_Shit! Why did he have to come?_

"I'm sorry, Fayt. We'll make it out alive anyway," Albel whispered.

"I know, I trust you," Fayt whispered back, wincing in pain.

_That bitch will pay for hurting MY Fayt!_

"Are you ok?" Albel asked urgently.

Fayt opened his mouth to respond weakly, "I think I'll be alright."

_He'll live, I know he will. But oh, Sophia is going to regret this. _

Albel glanced at Sophia, only to find her wide-eyed with horror, shaking. He turned back to Fayt, trying harder to stop the bleeding with only his blood-drenched hands.

And by standing there, helping Fayt, _his_ Fayt, Albel turned his back to an armed enemy. It was a mistake he knew could easily be fatal, but to him Fayt was more important than his own life.

The sound of another gunshot rung through the air. This time, Albel felt the pain. It burned into the back of his head, taking away all reasonable thought. Albel's world turned black, and he felt himself stumble backwards, falling.

**Author's Note: **REVIEW! Yeah. I brought you more Albel/Fayt goodness, then let him get shot in the head. Ouch. I'm such a traitor to us all. So it's almost Valentine's Day. No specials from me. Heh. As a romance author, I realize that it's weird to do a Christmas special and no Valentine's Day special. I'm always the single on Valentine's Day. Tehe. It's gotten to be kind of amusing. I hope to get another valentine from the dude on the bus. "You are really hot. You are really cool." K, I'm rambling. REVIEW!


	10. Till Death Do Us Part

**Disclaimer: **You know those boxes fast food places want you to put spare change in? I'm going to make on of those. Instead of donating to charity, you can throw in some spare change to help me buy the rights to Star Ocean. "But Tolanya, I thought you already owned Star Ocean!" No, my poor deceived readers, I do not own Star Ocean.

**Date Posted**: February 21, 2006  
**  
Author's Note:** 100 reviews! PARTY! To celebrate, I'm posting this chapter on the day of my 100th review. Ah, yes. Such a glorious day. And such a weird chapter name? OH WELL. Now, read on, I'll leave another note at the end (as usual).

**Chapter 10: **Till death do us part

"ALBEL!" Fayt screamed out his lover's name as he fell. The moment felt almost as thought it was in slow motion; Albel tumbling to the ground, blood pouring out of the back of his head.

Fayt knelt next to Albel immediately, staring into his closed eyes. The shock and despair Fayt had felt just the night before settled in again, the pain ripping apart his thoughts. The blue-haired man looked up at Sophia angrily.

"You shot him! You can't get away with this. You've murdered now." Fayt's words were cold and simple, his voice laced with agony.

Sophia said nothing at first. She shook her head, eyes wide and filled with disbelief. The hand holding the gun she had just fired shook, and the weapon fell to the ground, breaking the silence as it landed. Then, stuttering, she answered, "H-he w-was… a… a m-m-murderer."

Anger and defiance filled the emptiness caused by the sudden pain, and Fayt glared at Sophia. "He was my lover."

The sound of Albel's voice shocked Fayt. "Stop talking about me in past tense, damn it. I'm not dead yet."

Fayt looked down, his eyes meeting Albel's. He could think of no way to tell Albel how bad the wound was; that he might not be alive for long.

"It's ok. I know I'm going to die."

Tears blurred Fayt's vision, falling down his cheeks and hitting the floor silently. _Not Albel. He can't die._ Albel had been more than just a lover to Fayt, he has been his idol. He had seemed so invincible, and yet now he was lying on a bathroom floor, a bullet lodged into the back of his head.

Albel reached up, wiping a tear off Fayt's cheek. "You'll be fine. After all, you were better off before you met me."

Fayt shook his head, blinking away tears. He gently lifted Albel's head into his lap, staring into his dying lover's eyes. "I'm glad I met you anyway. You told me being together wouldn't be easy." He drew in a deep breath, almost sobbing. "But I think watching you die is much worse."

Albel laughed dryly. "I think I told you being gay only get worse as you go."

Fayt nodded, brushing a strand of black hair out of Albel's eyes affectionately. "You were negative about everything back then."

Albel smirked. "I know. It's only thanks to you I'm alive to be here dying."

_Here, dying. He's dying. She shot him fatally in the back of the head and now he's dying… Albel's really going to be gone, for good._

Fayt felt as though he would collapse, watching his whole world fall apart as Albel was dying. He stared into Albel's calm red eyes, wishing this didn't have to happen now, when they had just found each other again.

"This is really it then, isn't it? You're going to die, aren't you?" Fayt's voice broke as he spoke, tears falling down his cheeks.

"I wish I could say I was going to live. Just for you, Fayt. But I guess it's my time to die."

Fayt blinked back tears and nodded. "It's ok, Albel. I've made you stick around a long time."

_Even though he wanted to die so badly. He stayed for me, just to make sure I was safe. Why does he have to die! It's not fair!_

Albel reached out one hand, taking Fayt's hand in his. "I didn't mind living once I fell in love with you. It gave me one good thing, and it was all I needed. You gave me life, Fayt."

Fayt gently lifted Albel into a sitting position, allowing the older man to wrap his arms around Fayt for support. Leaning in, Fayt kissed Albel softly. His lips were still warm and soft, though Albel only kissed back weakly.

Pulling away a little, Albel whispered, "Fayt, can you do something for me?"

"Anything," Fayt whispered back. He would have done anything Albel asked by then, no matter what the consequences.

"Can you kill Sophia?" Albel spoke more softly.

Fayt nodded, looking over to see if she was listening.

"Oh, I can hear you. You can't kill me," Sophia remarked as confidently as she could, though she was clearly still shaken after shooting Albel.

Something inside Fayt snapped at her words, filling him with rage. "Oh, I CAN kill you! Do you have ANY idea how much pain you've caused! You destroy LIVES for the sake of your pathetic reputation, and we aren't the only ones! You've done enough damage, you DESERVE to die!"

Fayt's outburst silenced Sophia, who retreated a little, putting more space between herself and the couple, looking away. Satisfied she was quiet and not listening, Fayt looked back to Albel, the rage turning into sorrow again.

"You sound like me," Albel remarked, smirking.

"I can't say I'll ever be you, but maybe you rubbed off on me a little." Fayt pulled Albel a little closer to him, whispering, "We did spend a long time together."

"I love you the way you are now, Fayt. Hell, I'd love you no matter what, but for your sake, don't turn into me."

Fayt smiled slightly and answered, "No one will ever be you again. I don't think the world is ready for another Albel Nox."

_But you sure could have lived a lot longer._

Albel met Fayt's eyes, a distant look of longing in his own crimson eyes. "Maybe not. Maybe I'm not that significant anyway. The world has plenty of murderers."

"Are you kidding? They'll be talking about all the people you killed forever." Fayt smiled. "I'm proud."

_Proud… I'm proud to belong to him. Sick as it is, I'm proud of him for killing all those people. He was one of the few people who really lived. He made a difference, even if it was just killing people. No one will ever be as good at it as him._

"You were more than a murderer to me," Fayt whispered. "Much more."

Fayt's hands were covered in blood now, staining them a bright shade of red. The liquid slipped easily through his fingers; Albel's very life flowing out of him and spilling onto the floor. For a moment, they only stared at each other, the reality of having reunited and now separating again hitting for what felt like the millionth time.

"You didn't live long enough," Fayt said softly.

"I got enough accomplished, don't you think?" Albel answered.

Fayt looked up at Sophia, glaring. "She cut your life short." Sophia looked back at Fayt evenly. "You stole his life! Damn it, you stole three years of _my_ life! I want it all back! His life was worth more than your stupid image will ever be!" Sophia didn't answer, silently staring back at him, her whole body trembling with fear and shock.

Fayt looked away and let himself collapse, crying, burying his face in Albel's shoulder. The older man wrapped his thin arms around Fayt with the weakness of a dying man, and still managed to whisper to him comfortingly. "It's going to be ok. I don't need more time; I've been here long enough. You'll be fine."

_Fine! I'll be alone and probably stuck with Sophia! The last three years are going to happen all over again, for the rest of my life! I can't go back to that, not after all this!_

Fayt held back the urge to scream at something, anything and softly whispered, "I'll be lonely. For a long time. I'm only 23, you know. I've got a lot of time left without you."

Albel pulled Fayt closer, comforting his lover even as he died. "Don't worry about that. Once you get away from Sophia, it'll be alright. Remember what I told you- there's still so much left to do. Even if I'm dead, you still have a life left."

Fayt sighed. _It won't be the same when I'm by myself. I can't go on and be normal without him._

"We never had much time together, did we? There was a lot we never had a chance to do. You know, most couples settle down eventually. I guess I always thought we'd have a peaceful life somewhere, once you were done killing. I never thought…" Fayt let his words trail off.

Albel looked away. "I'm sorry. I was always killing people, leaving you alone. I should have taken better care of you."

Fayt cupped Albel's face in one hand. "No. You did fine. We should have had more time, but you never failed me. I can only wish we'd been able to do more."

"It was enough if you were as happy as I was."

Fayt kissed Albel again, their lips connecting only briefly before he pulled away to let Albel breathe. The other man's warm breath blew across Fayt's lips gently, though Albel's breathing was shallow.

Albel closed his eyes, pulling Fayt closer to him with surprising strength. "Your arm is still bleeding," he remarked, reaching out to run his hand along Fayt's injured arm, carefully avoiding the spot where the bullet hit.

_How can he be dying and only care about me? I'm fine; he's shot in the head!_

"I'm alright, you're the one who's hurt…" Tears gathered in Fayt's eyes, and he looked away, blinking.

Albel breathed in deeply. "If you fall in love with someone else, make sure he can protect you."

"I won't fall in love," Fayt answered firmly.

_Not once Albel's gone. I'll never love anyone else as long as I live, and no one will ever love me as much as he did. Not nearly as much._

"You never know. You've got a lot of time left." Albel fell back into his lover's arms a little more as he spoke, growing weaker every second.

"Albel, no one could ever love me like you did," Fayt whispered. They stared into each other's eyes, silently sharing memories; reminders of everything they had been.

"Then don't let yourself get hurt," Albel answered after a long silence, his voice weak.

Sophia had gathered the courage to speak. "This is what you get for being gay. I murdered Albel but _my_ sin will be forgiven." Her voice was smug, if a little shaky.

Albel managed to yell hoarsely across the room at her. "Shut up! You can't change me now! I'm fucking dying, you can't change how I lived!"

Sophia smiled, as though she knew something they didn't, and fell back into silence, hiding away in the corner of the room.

Albel turned his attention back to Fayt. "So you promise to be safe? I won't be there to protect you from her. I'm… worried," Albel finished, staring into Fayt's tearful green eyes.

Fayt couldn't help but smile. Albel rarely confessed to being worried, and even then only to Fayt. _He's dying, of course he's emotional…_

"I'll try, but without you…"

They shared an understanding silence. Fayt had always counted on Albel to protect him. Even when everyone else turned against him because of what he was, Albel had been there to make sure no one hurt Fayt..

_I should be able to fend for myself. Everyone else who lives alone is fine, but I **need** him._ There were few people who could really understand what Fayt and Albel had. They weren't just in love, they needed each other to keep themselves sane. Fayt relied on Albel for everything in his life, and Albel had never loved, or even really liked, anyone until Fayt. With Albel gone, Fayt's life had been empty, only a shell of what it should have been. He counted on Albel for more than love- Albel was his will to live.

Both men had run out of words, staring into each other's eyes silently. _Why him? Why not Sophia, or someone who really deserves death? Why not anyone but the man who kept me going all these years?_

Albel, who had always been able to tell how Fayt felt, said in a low voice, "You'll be fine. I know it." He winced in pain, falling deeper into Fayt's arms.

_He's showing the pain. It must be bad._ Albel had never shown any pain in front of anyone, no matter how badly he was hurt. He had never even shown weakness when only Fayt would have been there to see. It was one of the reasons Fayt admired him so much. Fayt blinked away more tears, gripping Albel's hair as though trying to help him hang on to life; wishing desperately he could help somehow.

"I had this coming to me. I killed tons of people." Albel's voice was low and dark. "Every single night for almost seven years, at least one person died by my hand. People will rejoice once they hear I'm dead."

Fayt shook his head. "No," he said, the boldness of his voice surprising even himself. "Maybe the stupid, ignorant ones. The ones who didn't really know you. If nothing else, _I_ will cry at your funeral."

Albel smirked. "You think I'll have a funeral?"

Fayt nodded. "Yeah. If I have any say in it."

"I think it'll be just you at that funeral," Albel answered.

"No one else understands anyway. It's always been just the two of us. It's fine that way; we don't need anyone else."

_But now it's going to be just me. On my own, without Albel._

Albel smirked again and remarked. "We could have done so much more. We spent so long apart, who knows what would have happened if we both made it out of here alive?" He gestured at the walls around them. "We could have covered these walls in _her_ blood. Hell, the whole world would be talking then. Nobody would have been able to stop us. We would have been incredible, Fayt."

Albel pulled Fayt closer to him, hugging him as tightly as his weak, dying arms could. "Every man that ever loved a man, every woman that ever loved a woman, would look up to us. We could have changed the world if we wanted to. We could have been the last couple to go through all this hate just so we could love."

Fayt smiled, embracing Albel. "Yeah. We'll leave that to someone else. Someday, everything will be alright. Just not yet."

Albel leaned his head against Fayt's chest, nodding in agreement. "There was a time I would have told you it would always be this way. I think, maybe, there's hope though. Maybe somewhere out there, another couple is sick of being hated for loving, too."

Fayt looked away, tears in his eyes. "But it's not us… We won't be together anymore."

Albel turned to face Fayt, their arms still wrapped around each other, Fayt holding Albel up. Albel's hot breath blew across his face, and a thin, pale hand brushed a tear away. "You still look cute when you cry, you know."

Fayt felt Albel's warm lips over his and kissed back, allowing the other man to hold onto him more tightly for support. Pulling away very slightly, so his lips still brushed Fayt's when he spoke, Albel whispered, "I love you. Don't forget that."

"I won't," Fayt whispered back.

"If I could, I'd come back to help you…" Albel's words trailed off.

"It's ok," Fayt reassured softly, breaking the momentary silence. "If you're going to die, at least rest peacefully."

_But damn it, I'll miss you._

Albel's eyes looked more distant, and Fayt could feel him weaken, death approaching faster now. _No, Albel, no! Albel can't die, what about me! This can't happen, not to him, he's too strong to die now!_

Fayt flung himself at his lover, crying openly and hugging him as tightly as he could. "I'll remember you," he sobbed. "For the rest of my life, I won't ever forget everything you did for me."

"The worst part is over now, Fayt. We made it through all this." Albel's voice was weak, dying out, fading away.

Fayt couldn't answer immediately- his words would have been drowned out by tearful sobs as he clung to Albel fiercely, wanting desperately for him to stay forever. "Don't leave me," he managed to say.

Fayt tilted Albel back, watching the life fade from his eyes. "I'll always love you," Fayt sobbed.

"I love you," Albel whispered.

And with that, Albel closed his eyes and stopped breathing.

**Author's Note:** Yes. Albel. Dead. Yet there are two chapters to go. If you're saying "Tolanya, I don't want to read two chapters without any Albel/Fayt goodness", just hang on. I promise the ending is interesting, though highly unusual. And for all you know, there will be delicious flashbacks.  
Now, onto the subject of reviews. Yes. 101. More than I expected at this point. But only 5 for the last chapter? I give INFINITE cookies and Coke to my 5 reviewers. To the rest of you readers- I still love you, fear not. But maybe review this time? It makes me happy when you review, and you get cookies. Yes, MANY COOKIES FOR ALL WHO REVIEW! Now review. Come on, CLICK THE BUTTON AND TYPE SOMETHING! IT CAN JUST BE "OH NOES, ALBY!" FOR ALL I CARE!


	11. I Miss You

**Disclaimer: **By chapter 11, there are few original ways left to tell you I do not own the rights to Star Ocean. Thank God I'm not doing a one of those insane 50 chapter fanfictions.

**Date Posted: **March 2, 2006

**Author's Note: **Hello, and welcome to another angsty chapter! This one wins the award for most angsty. Congratulations. Also, it is March. The Miracle Month. The Holy Month. The month in which Kingdom Hearts 2 comes out (TODAY! But I didn't predorder... :( ), and the month in which there will be a new season of Avatar: The Last Airbender. YAY!

**Chapter 11:** I Miss You

A week had passed since Albel's death. Fayt had gone back with Sophia. The shock and depression didn't allow for clear thought, and it was the only place for him to go. Sophia had been in a good mood since Albel had died, firmly convinced this made Fayt straight. The press wouldn't leave her alone either, demanding she give details about her wedding day, and the day after. Fayt had been in a daze the whole time, though she took him on a talk show one time. She forced him to tell a story about how Albel kidnapped him, but once Sophia came he fought off Albel because of his love for her. She told the public they would still be getting married.

It was on the one week anniversary of Albel's death that his body was buried. His grave was an ordinary one, though it lacked the usual flowers left by mourners. Not that Fayt minded- Albel didn't care for decoration on graves.

Now, late at night, alone, Fayt traced over the letters on the stone with a careful finger. "Albel Nox 1989-2013" it read. The blue-haired man sat down next to the grave, the cool night air gently blowing through his hair.

"Hey Albel. I know it's strange of me to be here. I never liked cemeteries." Fayt's voice was soft, as one speaking quietly to a lover. "Maybe I just never liked the thought of death, because it's the only thing that could have ever come between us." A gust of wind swept through the graveyard, and Fayt tugged on the deep green designer sweater he wore, trying to keep warm.

"I remember we came here once. I don't know if you do. You were drunk." The ghost of a smile tugged at the corners of Fayt's mouth. "But you were drunk a lot and it never seemed to change your memory. Well, you complained about this city. You told me the rich were snobs, but we needed the money badly. You… you said this would be a horrible place to be buried." Fayt looked down, then added, "I'm sorry. They found your body on the floor of that bathroom, along with me and Sophia."

There was a silence, and Fayt found himself expecting Albel's voice to swear revenge on Sophia, or even for Albel to hold Fayt and comfort him. "I guess you can't answer me." He sighed. "Sophia's glad you're dead. I told her I'll always love you, but she says now that you're dead I can be straight." Tears gathered in Fayt's eyes, and he let them fall down his face.

"I miss you. I'm so lonely, Albel. Sophia's planning our next wedding. She says it's going to be bigger and better than the last one, because now she's really won me. She says this is great publicity." Fayt blinked away tears, looking up at the clear night sky. "I hate her," he whispered. "I'm not marrying her."

A red leaf floated idly onto Albel's grave, the slight rustling breaking the silence. Fayt reached out a hand and brushed it off, running his hand down the smooth stone of the grave.

"I think you'd be proud of me, if you were alive to see all this. I won't let her touch me. Not ever again. You wouldn't have let her do anything like that, after all." Fayt sighed. "I'm going to leave this place. I don't know where to go without you, but I'm leaving. I was so close to that perfect ending, me and you together. In just two days I found you, then lost you all over again. I miss you so much."

Fayt fell into silence, his mind racing, wanting nothing more than to be in Albel's arms again. Albel had been everything to him. Ever since they met, neither boy could live without the other. It was something Fayt felt he couldn't even begin to understand- the way they had been instantly attracted to each other, and never let go no matter what. And Fayt could remember clearly when he had met Albel, and fallen for him. He smiled faintly at the memory now.

It seemed like ages ago to Fayt, who had been only 13, Albel 14. They hadn't known each other, but Albel's tall, thin body had caught Fayt's eye in the locker room after gym class. The two shared a brief moment of eye contact, before Fayt blushed and looked away. But it was enough for him to know he was gay- and had a crush on the boy everyone was afraid of. He sat next to Albel at lunch, a sort of quiet understanding between them. Albel had been wary of Fayt at first, but they grew used to each other. It wasn't until one day in a wood carving class, which Fayt had only taken because Albel was in it, that he realized Albel felt the same way about him.

Fayt was trying uselessly to carve a circle in a piece of wood- something he should have been able to do ages ago according to the old teacher. Albel had smirked at him and quickly offered to help him, standing behind Fayt and guiding his hands. Fayt remembered enjoying the experience- Albel _was_ standing very close to him, so close Fayt could feel the boy's warm breath on his neck. And he had taken a small step back to bump into Albel and find him very hard.

Fayt had turned around, smiled at Albel and whispered, "If you wanted me you should have said something."

Albel grabbed his wrists and whispered back, "I don't just want you like that. I want… to know you. I… think I love you, Fayt."

Staring at Albel's grave now, Fayt let a tear run down his cheek, wishing he had more than old memories to cling to. "Seems like forever ago, doesn't it?" He was answered only by the blowing of the wind. "Feels like we haven't been home in forever." There was a pause. "I guess we won't go back now. You never did like it back home though, did you?"

Soon after that day, Fayt knew everything about Albel. Even how suicidal he was. It had always scared Fayt knowing he could lose Albel any day. The boy had often shown up at school with fresh cuts on his wrists, though never deep enough to have killed him, not after he was with Fayt.

Fayt remembered perfectly the day that had scared him most. Albel hadn't been at school that day, and Fayt was getting worried about him. He ran frantically through the neighborhood, checking all of his favorite hide-outs and escapes, but couldn't find Albel.

Then it hit him- he hadn't looked in the old, empty lot at the end of town. Running as fast as he could, Fayt got there just in time. Albel was sitting against a brick wall, staring down a loaded gun.

"Albel, don't do it!" He had yelled, running towards Albel. Fayt knocked the gun aside, tackling Albel, hugging him firmly.

"Fayt, what the hell are you doing here?"

"I didn't see you and I got worried, and here you are trying to kill yourself!" Fayt's voice broke and he clung more tightly to Albel. The older boy kissed his lover gently, calming him down.

They had spent the rest of the night talking quietly, Albel holding a softly crying Fayt in his arms. It was early in the morning, before the sun had even begun to rise, that Albel promised Fayt he would live and protect him.

Fayt's mind was flying back now, remembering all the things he and Albel had shared after that. One of his best memories was about a year after they had started dating, the night he lost his virginity to Albel. Fayt's family was gone for a week, and because the uncle Albel lived with didn't care if he went missing, Albel was spending the week over there.

It was late Wednesday night, and both boys were still awake. Albel was particularly restless that night, constantly grabbing Fayt to kiss him roughly. It was when he slammed Fayt down onto his bed, hands working their way up his shirt, mouth moving along his neck, that Fayt gave up.

"Mm, Albel… I'm yours." Fayt half-moaned.

"We both know that," Albel answered in a low voice.

"I mean it, Albel. If you want me, go for it." Fayt struggled to keep his voice under control.

To Fayt's surprise, Albel pulled away and looked into his eyes. "You're sure?" he asked softly.

Fayt grabbed the back of Albel's head and kissed him fiercely, breaking off to breathe heavily. "Absolutely."

"You were always so… caring." Fayt spoke softly, tears still in his eyes as he gazed upon the grave. "Maybe you knew how much I would need someone to love and protect me. You saved me from my own family when they hated me for being gay."

Tearful green eyes stared at the grave, his mind now racing through every moment of Albel's life. It had been a short, violent life. Nearly fourteen years of suicidal rage until he fell in love with Fayt. Seventeen years of abuse from his uncle until Albel killed him, which was followed by seven years of non-stop murdering.

Even so, Fayt had loved every second of the time he had with Albel. A million fragments of memories flashed before his eyes- Albel staring into his eyes, Albel holding out slit wrists, Albel kissing him softly, shooting Sophia's men, running from the police, driving away from another murder scene.

Tears fell down Fayt's cheeks unhindered, his heart ripping apart to fill with incompleteness, sadness. There was nothing left of Albel, nothing but this empty stone with his name engraved on it.

"I have to wonder if this is what you want, or at least deserved," Fayt said softly. "You killed a lot of people. No doubt you would have been given the death penalty if they found you. And for so long, you wanted this. It hurt, that you wanted to die. It still hurts more that you're dead and you didn't choose to be. You… were invincible to me, Albel. I always thought you'd choose your own death."

Fayt sighed. "Damn it, either way I miss you. And I'm talking to your grave, now. I think you'd laugh at this. You never believed in an afterlife. Maybe talking to the dead is useless."

_The dead._ Fayt moved closer to the grave, reading the words written on it again, still unable to believe it was really Albel who was dead.

"Albel…" he whispered, letting his voice fade away into the night. "I would give anything to see you again, just once." Fayt sighed, looking up at the moon. It shone brightly, now a less than full moon.

"I still love you. Even though you're dead. Foolish, maybe, to depend on a dead man. I just don't know where to go from here without you. Maybe death is the best thing for me now. If I died, I could join you down there."

He shuddered at the thought of Albel's lifeless body lying deep in the ground. It had been odd enough to hold Albel after he was dead, feeling his body grow cold as they waited for the police. Fayt had never liked anything to do with death, and he had cried the whole time they waited. Now he clenched a handful of dirt, trying to stop more tears and failing.

"So here I am, crying at your grave. I guess you could call this your funeral. I told you I'd be here, alone maybe." Fayt sniffled, hugging his legs to his chest. "What should I do, Albel? You wouldn't want me to stick around this city with Sophia, would you? Not after everything she did to me."

Fayt closed his eyes, trying to block out the memories. Still they flooded his head, echoing in the emptiness. Images of Sophia kissing him, touching him, undressing him. He wanted to scream, but he had learned not to over those three years. Tears fell harder silently, wishing Albel were there to make everything better.

"You tried to save me from her. And she shot you. You could have made everything ok, you always did!" Fayt's voice was rising as he opened his eyes, burning green, glaring off into the distance. "You'd want her dead." His voice was cold. "You'd want me to give her what she deserves. And someday I will. I promise."

With a defeated sigh, he looked down. "Albel, I'm in no state to do anything like that now. Damn it, all I can do anymore is cry. We needed more time. There was so much that was never said, never done. I loved you more than I ever thought I could love anyone, and I _need_ that back."

There was a silence broken only by the blowing of the wind. Fayt struggled to find words, but finally opened his mouth and spoke again. "Sophia tried to comfort me in her own way. She still says I never loved you. She's wrong. It almost makes me feel guilty, just that anyone could think I didn't love you. I hope you knew that when you died. I hope you knew that you were everything I ever needed."

"It hurt to know you had to risk your life every day, partly just to help me survive. I don't know why I'm like this. I'm so weak when I'm alone. Other people can live alone, they can be independent. For some reason, I had that dependence on you." Fayt bit his lip, staring at the grave, it's words imprinted firmly in his mind now- he knew this was something that would haunt him forever.

"It hurts more to know you did die because of me. If you hadn't been trying to make sure I was ok, you could have lived. Damn it, if one of us had just pulled the trigger faster we would both be ok. Why did _you_ have to die!" Fayt's nearly shouted words echoed around the cemetery, his tears pouring onto the dirt below him.

"It's not _fair_! You shouldn't have died, not so young! No one, no matter how many they've killed, deserves what you got, not anyone so damn selfless!" Fayt inhaled sharply, running out of tears, sobbing. "All you cared about was me, never yourself. I _miss_ you Albel. You were a murderer, but I still love you more than anything!"

Fayt shook as he reached out to the grave, feeling the cold stone against his skin. "I'll always love you," he whispered. "I won't forget. Every night I spend alone, every day you're still dead- I'll never forget you."

Slowly Fayt stood and turned his back on the grave. The wind howled, blue hair flying over his eyes, hiding the tears. With a finality he wished he didn't need, Fayt walked away from the cemetery. Of all the dead buried there, the one that would be missed most was the only one that had no flowers.

**Author's Note: **Ah, yes. Chapter 11. One more to go! Ahhh! I'm going to leave you all a super long author's note at the end of the next chapter, with all sorts of fun explainations for things I never got to use. Mmyes. REVIEW. REVIEW! I love everyone who reviews! And it makes me happy, and it makes me want to post the next chapter sooner, yes? Yes.


	12. Just Like You

**Disclaimer: **If I owned the rights to Star Ocean, this would be an awesome movie, I would win an Oscar, and then I'd be rich. Instead I'm trying to type an author's note quickly so I don't miss the school bus. Yeah.

**Date Posted:** March 10, 2006

**Author's Note: **I hate to rush this note, but I'm sure we're all ready (and Tolanya might miss the bus!). Enjoy!

-ONE YEAR LATER

Fayt held a silver bullet between his fingers, sliding it easily into the small, black gun in his hand. _This one should be easy enough. Lure the girl away and kill her. _He checked to be sure his knife was firmly secured under the black choker necklace made to hold it. Finding it safely hidden, he slipped the gun into his black coat and crept out of the night's shadows, into the bar whose brick wall he was leaning against.

Practiced green eyes scanned the dimly lit room, searching among the drunkards for his target._ Let's see… about 5'5, long black hair, blue eyes, and of course the jewel… _Spotting the woman alone, drinking beer and observing the others in the bar, he closed in.

And then came the easy part. Fayt stood close to the woman, whispering seductively in her ear, running his hand up her leg. He could judge her reactions easily, playing her like an instrument until they were kissing. Still when he kissed her, he couldn't help but think of Albel, and what he would think of someone else kissing Fayt. He didn't stop, though, just kept kissing her, a cold kiss with no love or passion, the opposite of Albel's kiss.. She was easy to get away, too. Fayt grabbed her violently by the wrist, faking lust, leading her out the back door.

He played the part of the dark, straight man perfectly, an actor on his own private stage. His hands slipped easily under her shirt, legs pressing against hers, glad to find her unarmed. _How careless. Stupid woman._ They were hidden now, no one would see the murder.

Just as Fayt predicted, the first thing she ripped off was the necklace, her fingers running up his throat, tearing it off. The knife fell out, right into Fayt's waiting hand. With practiced ease, Fayt drove the knife into her throat, blood squirting out onto him. The woman tried to scream, but she couldn't. Yanking the blade out of it's bloody sheath in her neck, Fayt stabbed her in the chest, hitting her heart. She struggled to breathe, falling down and shaking, still trying to suck in more air. Finally her body stopped moving, and she died.

"Easy," Fayt remarked to himself, disappointed the woman hadn't presented more of a challenge.

"Too easy, don't you think?" The new voice was harsh, with an edge of danger.

_Damn._ A tall, well-built man with messy dark red hair emerged from the shadows, cold brown eyes locked on Fayt in a challenge he couldn't turn down.

"Fayt Leingod. So the rumors are true. You're back." Fayt watched in annoyance as the man approached, his voice idle and confident. He didn't have time for this.

"So what? I'm not sticking around." Fayt's voice was cold.

The man smiled at him. "No, we'll be making sure of that."

Fayt raised one blue eyebrow. "Reinforcements, then?" _Damn it, why didn't I notice them? I'm not focused today…_ Fayt's eyes scanned the area, searching for any hiding spots.

The man let out a laugh, clearly pleased with himself. "Not reinforcements. Don't you know how much other gangs would pay us for killing you?"

It clicked in Fayt's mind instantly. _The woman was bait to get me. And that's why she was so easy, and unarmed._ _They knew that other gang would hire me for this. _In a split second, he had his gun out and pointed at the man in front of him. Before he could fire, a teenage boy leapt out of a car parked in the shadows, shooting wildly at Fayt. Fayt dropped to the ground, avoiding the bullets raining down on him, and shot back, hitting the boy in the head, blood flying out of the wound as he fell to the ground with a scream of pain.

Two women jumped over the car from behind, but Fayt shot them before they even had a chance to fire, letting them fall, screaming, into pools of their own blood. Fixing his gun on the leader again, he looked around for any others. "That's all you have? Disappointing."

The man didn't answer, but reached one hand to pull out a gun, but he was too slow and found himself missing the hand. Fayt's knife had taken it, and the man gave a strangled cry as he stared at the bleeding stump where his hand should have been.

"I suppose she belonged to your gang, then." Fayt quickly aimed his gun at the man's chest. "Pity they'll have to lose their leader, too." The man's eyes widened in fear, and Fayt fired three shots into him, watching as he fell down in a bloody mess, the red liquid flying onto Fayt.

Smirking in a way reminiscent of Albel, Fayt walked to the dead man, yanking a blood-stained silver ring embedded with a large sapphire off his remaining hand. He turned the man's pocket's inside-out, but found nothing else of interest. Next he went to the woman's body, ripping out the blue stones she wore in her ears and wiping blood off it. He held one up to the light emitted by a streetlamp, examining the gem. An intricate gang symbol was carved in it, and there was a matching one on the stone in the ring.

"Perfect," Fayt whispered, pocketing the objects.

There was the loud sound of a door flying open, and Fayt spun around to see someone sticking their head out of the bar. "What the hells all the noise?" The man's words were slurred together, and he looked disoriented, but he understood the gun Fayt slammed against his head.

"You didn't see any of this, got it?" Fayt's voice was low and threatening.

The blonde-haired man looked undecided. "But I just seen them dead bodies, an' I heard some guns goin' off. I think you-"

Fayt pulled the trigger, cutting his sentence short. "Well, you won't tell anyone now," he said quietly dead man, throwing his body onto the street with the other five. He surveyed the bloody scene and smiled, satisfied. _Well that was more fun than I expected._

He made his way over to the body of the younger boy, who had only one blue stone in his right ear. Fayt ripped it out anyway, and searched the teen's pockets, finding nothing there either. With a frown, he yanked out the women's earrings and slipped them in his pocket with the others. _Good. Plenty of deaths here tonight. Soon enough everyone will know I've come back. And Sophia… she'll know why._

With a blood-thirsty smirk, Fayt turned and walked away. He knew the police would probably figure out it was him, but that didn't matter. Fayt was already wanted for plenty of murders. _They might think those three got in a fight with each other anyway._

Arriving at a small, cement building decorated with countless bullet marks, Fayt entered. Inside, a group was scattered on tables and benches that looked as though they had been part of a diner long ago. Behind a counter at the front was their leader- a man of about 20, tall and muscular with short brown hair.

The entire room fell silent, and Fayt could feel all their eyes on him as he walked to the counter and tossed the dead woman's gem to the leader. "So you did it. Impressive." The man's voice was rough.

"She was easy," Fayt answered casually.

The leader laughed. "For you, it would be." He tossed Fayt a cigarette, which the blue-haired man lit and smoked idly.

Ever since Albel's death, Fayt was a smoker. He was addicted, if only to the smell. Albel had always smelled of smoke and alcohol, but Fayt never cared. To him, it was Albel's scent and he loved it. And Albel's lips always had the lingering flavor of cheap beer or liquor, now Fayt's favorites. It wasn't much to cling to, but it was something.

"So it was a clean job?" the leader asked. "Everything went as planned?"

Fayt shook his head. "It was a trap. They wanted to kill me." He pulled out the other three stones and the ring. "The leader showed up, with three others." Fayt blew a puff of smoke before continuing. "I killed them all. There was some drunk witness, but I took care of him anyway."

The leader laughed. "Good. That solves plenty of our problems."

_I don't give a damn about your problems._

"Anyway, we'll give you four hundred since you took care of all those."

_Not bad. Almost makes me want to care._

Money was slapped into Fayt's hand and he quickly slipped it inside the coat he wore. He turned to leave the now celebrating gang, but their leader stopped him. "Fayt!"

He spun around, annoyed. "Yeah?"

"Is it true you're only back here because someone you loved died?" The man asked, studying Fayt curiously, as if the idea that Fayt could fall in love was strange. Fayt smirked at this, but didn't answer. "I don't remember seeing her," the leader added, looking a little nervous.

Fayt eyed the man carefully for a second. "_He_ died a year ago," he answered, and walked out.

_One year… it's been a long time._ Fayt walked through the empty streets of the city, a light mist growing. It was the richest city in the world, but this section was abandoned except for gangs and drunkards- the outcasts of society.

The walk to the cemetery felt short; he was soon crossing the grass, walking over countless dead bodies, throwing his cigarette on one grave. Finally, in front of him was a grave stone, the name "Albel Nox" carved on it.

Glancing around to make sure no one else was there, Fayt kneeled in front of the grave stone. "Hey, Albel. It's been a while, hasn't it?" There was a pause, filled with silence.

Fayt took a deep breath, and let the words flow from his mouth. "I kill people. All the time. I love it. Every day and night, I kill people, I can't get enough of it, and no one can stop me. I guess I'm a lot like you." There was another pause, this one much longer than the last.

Finally, in a pained voice, Fayt spoke again. "I still love you. It's driving me crazy, having you dead. God damn it, why did you have to die? I'm no better than you were anymore. You wouldn't believe what's become of your little Fayt." Fayt smirked at this, wondering if anyone besides Albel would believe how innocent he used to be.

It had all started the night after Fayt had last visited this spot. He stole a car and drove as far away as he could get, intent on leaving Sophia and the city.

And so, he decided to do everything Albel had always done, to live the life that was cut short. He killed people for money. Albel had never really taught him how, but Fayt had picked up a few things from him anyway, and he knew how to handle it. He wasn't as strong or threatening as Albel, and often he would have to act like he was going to sleep with his victims to lure them away. Albel could kill in the middle of a crowd and still escape alive.

Fayt's first kill stood out most in his mind. It hadn't been for money, but neither had all of Albel's kills. A police officer drove up beside Fayt, motioning him to get off the road. Annoyed, Fayt followed him anyway. The officer tried to arrest him for stealing the car. And with a speed he didn't know he had, Fayt yanked a gun out of Albel's coat, which he still wore, and shot the man. It was late, past midnight, and no one saw the murder.

After that, it was all a blur of killing. Every night, he would find someone who would pay him to kill. Some had been friends of Albel, but none knew Fayt. Fayt had always been Albel's best kept secret. If anyone had found out about him, they could have taken him as bait to lure Albel away and kill him, or make him exchange his life for Fayt's.

Fayt sighed now, staring at the grave of the man who had been so careful to protect him. "Once I'd gotten my first kill over with, everything was easy. It's… all I have left of you. Every time I shoot someone, I can almost see you there doing the same thing. I'm not who I used to be, Albel. I'm someone much worse."

He felt rain start to fall down lightly around him, sliding down Albel's grave. "I'm still yours, Albel. I've… let a lot of other people touch me. I know you'd hate that." Fayt down, away from the stone. "But it's just part of what I do. They're all dead too, anyway. If you're still out there somewhere, in hell with them, you've probably tried to kill them all over again." Fayt smiled slightly.

"This isn't why I'm here though. I'm here to finish what you started. I've killed countless people, but Sophia's still alive. I hate her, I need to kill her. I'm going to kill her, to avenge your death. She killed you, and I won't let her get away with it. Damn it, she fucked up everything, We would be ok if it weren't for that bitch." Fayt's voice was sharp, filled with unsatisfied hatred.

Fayt clawed at the ground, trying to keep himself calm. "After I kill her, it doesn't really matter what happens to me. Maybe I'll meet you again someday. If hell really does exist, I'll see you there. Down with most of our victims. Between the two of us, we've killed plenty. And I'm not done, I won't be done until I get my revenge. Damn it, this is all about your death!"

A tear ran down Fayt's cheek, hidden by the rain which poured harder now. "I try so hard to kill like you did. The world needs more people like you, or _I_ need more of you, I don't know anymore! You're _everything_ to me, Albel, everything!" Fayt's voice was a mixture of sadness and anger, blending into one thing- a longing for Albel, stronger than it had ever been before.

Fayt heard soft footsteps behind him, muffled by the wet grass, and started to spin around. He wasn't quick enough. There was a loud gunshot, and a searing pain in the back of his head. He let out a pained scream, falling forward, clutching the edge of Albel's grave.

"You'll never get your revenge!" The voice that shouted out through the night was one he hadn't heard since that night one year ago.

"Masaki, you bastard!" Fayt yelled through the increasing pain in his head, turning around to look at the man who would be his murderer.

"Sophia can't get over you!" Masaki's voice was filled with anger and hatred, his eyes a confused and hurt haze of emotions. "The woman I love, and all she wants is a fag like you! You can die here over that killer's grave, I don't give a damn! But you will never, ever keep me from getting Sophia! And you _will not_ hurt her!"

Fayt felt himself weakening, but he managed to call out to Masaki, his voice clear. "She deserves worse than anything I could ever do to her."

"But you're not going to live much longer, are you?" Masaki's voice was triumphant and mocking, though he still had a hurt look in his eyes, the look of a man who can't get the love he wants. With those words, he turned and walked out into the growing storm, away from the cemetery and the dying man there.

Fayt turned back to Albel's grave, the once gray stone now red with his blood. "Albel," he gasped. "Albel, why couldn't you be here to save me? Why does everything have to end this way?"

He felt himself growing weaker by the second, his breath coming in short gasps. "I… love you. I'll die just like you now… shot in the back of the head. And never again will I…kill."

Fayt let himself lean onto the gravestone, clinging to it for support. "I tried so damn hard to make everything ok! I killed people… Oh God, Albel, what have I done? All those people… I've killed them! I didn't make everything ok, I couldn't fix this, I killed them all!"

Fayt could feel all the anger and violence leaving, melting away with the rain. Everything he had done flashed before his eyes, all the lives he took, the families he shattered, the lovers that had been left alone just like him. _What happened to me? I was Albel's, I was innocent._

Tears rolled freely down Fayt's cheeks, tears of shame and regret and longing. "I'm going to die here, Albel. Will it be ok then? Will I… find you waiting for me somewhere at the end?" He gripped the grave more tightly, hanging on to life even though there was little to hang on to.

"This is my last night, and I want you here! We would love again, and laugh and cry, I just want to see you again!" Fayt gasped for air, feeling his life slipping away. He struggled to stay, just to feel the rain hitting his face, the cold stone of Albel's grave, just so he could breathe in the misty air for one more second, and know he was alive.

"The world will be better off without us. We can't give back all the lives we took… But I LOVE you so much, Albel! I'd kill a thousand more people for you! And now, now I'm just going to fade away, and you're already gone…"

Fayt sighed, and allowed death to come closer, surrounding him, ready to take him away. He could feel it, promising him rest from a world that had nothing left for him, and knew it was time to accept it. Taking in a deep breath, he quietly gave the grave his final words, the only words he had left. They were the words he wanted to take with him to the afterlife, to wherever he would go next. "I love you, Albel. I love you so much it hurts… I'll never see you again… Maybe it's my time. I'm.. sick of living alone, without you here… Goodnight, Albel."

Green eyes closed, and Fayt gave in to death, no longer afraid to face the end.

**Author's Note: **The end. Well, I hope you all liked Lethal Triangle. See the meaning of the name now? Yup. Now, since you've all been such awesome readers and stuck with this to the end, I thought I'd share some of the random facts about Lethal Triangle that you never really got to see.

Albel's Life Story: Yeah, this one might have been a little hard to piece together if you didn't read the Christmas fanfiction, and even so I didn't get to share all the fun details I invented. Mmk. Albel's parents died in a gunfight when he was about 6. So he had to go live with his uncle. Remember creepy Uncle Rex? Mmyess. So Rex was abusive, and that's mainly why Albel was always suicidal. Even at a young age, he just never really thought about it. To him, it was a given fact that he wanted to die. When he was about 11, Albel gets all tall and thin (because people tend to grow taller at about 11), and then Rex (because he's a pervert (even though I think he's sexy o)) rapes him. Albel eventually learns to fight off Rex, whoopee. So then Albel is kind of… a sex addict? Yes. Which means he's had a lot of ukes before Fayt, but they meant nothing to him. Then he meets Fayt, and we all know the story from there.

The My Chemical Romance CD: I mentioned in an earlier author's note that this whole thing was based off a CD. It almost never became a fanfiction. Yes, this was almost doomed to be shoved in a drawer as a plot that would make an awesome movie. I thought it would make a crappy fanfiction, but I did it anyway. I made up the plot on a car ride listening to Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge. Because I was bored, folks. Anyway, the CD has a bonus track in Japan called 'Bury Me Black'. I read the lyrics to it the other day, and I was about to rip someone's head off. If that song had been on the American version, Fayt would have definitely killed Sophia. Yes. But I highly recommend you at least read the lyrics to the CD anyway, if you're really bored and want to try and figure what I make of these people's lyrics.

Other Endings: There have been other endings considered. I even wrote a strange little epilogue where Fayt meets Albel in the afterlife. I was in an awesome hallway with my friend, and she was drawing and I was writing. So it took place in the hallway. Then I was like 'Screw this, LT is tragedy'. Try not to hate me? I sort of considered writing an ironic little epilogue where we find out Sophia is really with Nel. Oh my.

And, on a note not related to Lethal Triangle, I _will_ do more AlbelxFayt. Yes. You may see Avatar: The Last Airbender fanfictions popping up, but don't worry. There will be more AlbelxFayt angst love. With a little rivalry from Luther next time. Don't pretend you don't love Luther.

Well, um, you've all read my first ever fanfiction now! It was fun to write, and you guys are awesome! And…(say it with me kiddies!) REVIEW!


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